Turn Into You
by SummerJane11
Summary: Two girls. Different lives. Completely different situations. One hoping to make a playboy billionaire fall in love with her and the other becoming the toy of choice to both Gotham's Prince of Crime and it's reckoning. Two lives. One story. Bane/OC/Joker, Bruce/OC. Takes place through the entire trilogy.
1. I Know What I Know

**CHAPTER 1**

**PART I: EMMA**

The restaurant was buzzing with activity. Women clothed in elaborate gowns and men dressed to the nines in tuxes and fine suits. Emma watched them with a slight smile on her face. She always found it interesting to observe the upper class, knowing full well that she would never be one of them. Gotham was such an ugly city at night where she lived, but here, the fun was just getting started. Someone tapped her on the shoulder urgently.

"I know this is your break Emma but I'm really over programmed right now. Could you please take these to table 5? Please?" Kim begged. Trying to hand her over a tray of food. Emma wanted to refuse her, she was working a double shift already and this was the only break she got. But she couldn't, it just wasn't in her personality to refuse. She knew that people took advantage of her that way, but she still just couldn't say no when someone pleading with her to do something. Emma looked over at table five and swallowed nervously. She definitely did not want to go over there, but now the tray had already been thrust upon her and she was holding it uncertainly, "Thank sweetie, you're a life saver." Emma nodded once and smiled grimly as she walked over to the table nervously.

Bruce Wayne. You couldn't miss him. His face was smeared on every magazine and newspaper cover in Gotham, the billionaire playboy, and the prince of Gotham. Tonight two dimwitted looking models accompanied him, dressed scantily and eying the pool behind them. The sad part was that she knew one of these models and was determined to put the food down and walk away as quickly as possibly. The people at the table seemed to be deep in a conversation about none other than the batman anyways, too busy to really take notice of her. But then again, none of these upperclassmen every seemed to take notice of her. And she was grateful.

"I know you!" One of the girls exclaimed, as she was placing a salad in front of her. Emma froze and looked up at Grace O'Brien, the horrible bitch who had treated her quite nastily during high school, "You're Emma Riley, I remember you from high school." Grace giggled and looked over at her friend mischievously. Emma forced a smile and nodded, "Found your passion as a waitress have you?"

"I see you're doing well." Emma jumped in with a sweet smile; "You're a model now right, that's great."

"You're the girl who could never say a bad thing to anyone." Grace mocked, "Weren't you supposed to be like super smart or something? Didn't pay off in the end did it?"

"That's quite enough." A deep voice interrupted the giggling. Emma looked up and met the eyes of none other than Bruce Wayne. Who was staring at her with a small twinge of interest, he waved his hand dismissively at the two girls, "Why don't you ladies go amuse yourself elsewhere." The other model pulled Grace up and they started to make their way over to the pool, "Sit down." He motioned at Emma to take the recently emptied seat beside him."

"I don't think I'm supposed to do that Mr. Wayne." She said shakily. Everyone at the table was staring at her, judging her silently with their eyes. It made Emma want to flee the scene, not sit down and join them.

"Nonsense, c'mon, sit." He ordered and she did as he said, "Now, why don't you tell me how you know my date?"

"We went to high school together." Her voice was so soft that Bruce thought that if she lowered it even a little he wouldn't be able to hear her, "She was a year ahead of me."

"So that means you graduated…"

"Last year."

"University?"

"No. I applied to GU."

"Didn't get in?" He raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"I did, I just… didn't get a full scholarship." She smiled a bit sadly, "I wasn't quite smart enough."

"Well Gotham University is very hard to get into, they only give out one full scholarship per year and it always goes to an international student. You would be lucky to get any kind of scholarship there." He smiled and Emma nodded dismissively. She already knew this, she had known it when she had put all her hopes and dreams on that scholarship, and yet the knowledge that she didn't have a fighting chance, didn't make her feel better, "Why couldn't you go on a partial scholarship, I assume you were offered one."

"I couldn't afford it." Emma blushed. She was very embarrassed to be telling all of this to Bruce Wayne, _The_Bruce Wayne.

"Why didn't you apply anywhere else?"

"I couldn't leave. My mother is sick." She muttered. Bruce could hardly make out what she had said.

"Where is she now?"

"In the hospital."

"I'd imagine that's very expensive."

"It is."

Bruce felt bad about interrogating her to this point. She was shifting uncomfortably in her seat and tears seemed to be brimming in her eyes. Emma was now dragged back to remembering the fact that she was swimming in debt. She could hardly pay for food, the hospital bills were too big, and all her money was going to that.

"Sir." Another waiter came up to them. Pointing angrily at the two girls who were now swimming in the pool and explaining to him slowly about the hotel policy. Bruce stood up and offered him a check, expressing that he had just bought the hotel and was going to change the policy. Emma didn't want to look up at him anymore. She was suddenly brought to the realization that Bruce Wayne was just like all the rest of them. Throwing their money around for no good reason when people like her were struggling so much. Emma stood up swiftly and walked back towards the kitchen of the restaurant, before he could stop her.

"What happened?" Kim asked as Emma came back into the kitchen, very flustered. Emma's head shot up and she shrugged.

"Bruce Wayne happened." She said and sighed deeply, sitting down on the closest chair available. Kim gave her a knowing smile and skipped over to sit by her.

"I know I wanted you two to meet. I thought maybe you would catch his eye." Kim played with Emma's high ponytail and grinned. Emma gave her a very confused look, "What? You're cute and clever, and you're both single. Why wouldn't he be interest in you?" Kim smiled playfully. Emma looked down at her feet. Simple black flats, nothing fancy, just plain black flats that she picked up on sale.

"Why would he be interested in me? I'm not very interesting after all. I'm not spectacularly pretty, or spectacular in any other way and I'm poor, what's there to be interested in. Even if he did find me pretty or worth pursuit, he would just get bored of me after sleeping with me. That's just who he is."

"I know sweetie, but I thought maybe sleeping with Bruce Wayne would be exactly the de-stressor that you need right now." Kim giggled, "Look if you're not into it, I'll totally take your place."

"I don't think your husband would like that too much." Emma smiled.

"We've only been married 4 years, nothing's written in stone." Kim winked and took another tray of food out the swinging doors of the kitchen. Emma was left alone with her thoughts. Wouldn't it be something? Dating Bruce Wayne. Sure he might be a huge jerk, but he was very rich. And she needed money. A lot.

Bruce Wayne watched the girl scurry back off into the kitchen. He knew what she probably thought of him, self-obsessed, self-entitled, playboy. It was nothing new, in fact, that's probably what most of the city thought of him, including the people have dinner with him that very moment.

"What a sad little thing." The older woman said as she followed his eyes to the fleeing waitress, "She's so skinny, I bet she hardly eats anything. Health care expenses are rather steep these days. I wouldn't be surprised if all her income was going directly to her mother's health. I don't know how people like her survive in a city like this."

"Oh darling, you are always trying to find a new charity case." Her husband laughed and took another long sip of his wine, "We need people like her so that people like us can remain where we are today." The man smiled. Bruce turned his head and watched his two dates play in the pool and went to join them. He had to keep up appearances after all.

As he was getting into his car with the two girls he saw Emma coming out of the hotel. She seemed a little scattered and was looking up at the dark sky, seeming rather worried about the impending darkness.

"Ms. Riley!" he called over to her. She looked up and was shocked to see him waving her over. She couldn't say that she wasn't happy. Maybe Kim was right. Maybe he actually could be interested in her. She knew that she should be weary of him but she knew that any sort of relationship with Bruce Wayne could be very beneficial to her.

"Mr. Wayne." She greeted him as she walked towards him slowly. The girls in the back of the car kind of scoffed and kept chatting.

"Please tell me you don't plan on walking home at this time of night."

"No, I'll just catch a bus, there's a stop relatively close to my apartment." She explained and tried to avoid meeting his eyes, which seemed to burn into her.

"It's still a risky isn't it, Gotham isn't exactly the safest place in the world." Bruce winked. Emma nodded dismissively, "Let me drive you home. I have nowhere to be and it would give me more time to get to know you." Emma smiled but shook her head, absentmindedly glancing at the two girls in the back seat. Bruce watched her closely and returned to his car to open the door of his convertible, "Ladies, I will call you a cab." He gave them a charming smiled and a motion that implied that they should get out of the car. Emma was taken aback and tried to hold back a smug smile as she watched Grace glare angrily at her while stepping out of the car and slamming the door behind her.

"I don't know if I should… I mean it's really nice for you to offer and everything but…"

"Don't be silly, get in." Bruce ushered her into the car and closed the door behind her, then got into the driver's seat, "Now just tell me where to go." She smiled and noticed that she was staring at the hands in her lap, embarrassed. That was it. She didn't want him seeing where she lived. He didn't blame her. He must seem rather intimidating in his fancy car and having just bought The Plaza on a limb. When she was obviously struggling for cash and couldn't afford to go to university.

"Um… I don't know if you want to go there in this car. Really, it's not a problem if you just drop me off at a bus stop." She smiled sadly. Bruce turned to her suddenly and put a hand on hers.

"Just let me drive you home Emma." His tone was serious and dark. His eyes seemed genuine and she couldn't help but nod, telling him the address and how he could get there. The Narrows. She was right to be slightly concerned about driving to that side of town in his car.

The car ride was mainly silent, with a few polite comments here and there before Bruce suddenly started interrogating her.

"So, what do you like to do on your spare time?" He asked first. Grinning over at her. He was charming, that was for sure. He had that smooth swagger and confidence that girls just couldn't resist.

"I don't have a lot of spare time." She responded simply and bit her lip nervously.

"You can't always be working at the restaurant."

"I work at a coffee house too, during the day."

"Everyday?"

"Not Saturdays."

"Then what do you do on Saturdays?"

"Visit my mom." She responded quietly. The car was silent again, except this time it was filled with tension. Bruce glanced over at her and she could see pity etched in his expression, "Don't feel bad for me Mr. Wayne."

"I'm sympathetic. It's hard not to be."

"There are thousands of others who are worst off, in this very city no less. Those people need your sympathy more than I do."

"You must really hate people like me." Bruce said. Emma looked over at him in confusion, "The rich who waste their money away on fancy cars and nice restaurants. Without a care in the world while others, just a short car ride away, suffer in ways we could never understand. I must disgust you."

"You don't disgust me Mr. Wayne." She said sweetly and forced a smile, "You were nice enough to drive me home."

"I might have ulterior motives."

"Do you?"

"Yes." He answered, "I get to spend time with you. An intelligent, down to earth, not to mention pretty, girl." He winked and she blushed slightly, turning her head to the window so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes.

"You're sweet."

"So are you." He laughed, "Too sweet, some would say."

"So I've been told."

The conversation ended with that as they turned onto her street. Bruce looked around and was immediately concerned about letting her out of the car, and out of his sight. This was not a good part of town, and her apartment building looked pretty run down. He didn't know how she had lived here so long without getting in trouble or being killed.

"You don't live here alone do you?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure you'll be safe?" He asked. Glancing up at the building wearily as he pulled up in front of it. The street looked to be completely abandoned for the time being, which he had to admit, he was glad of.

"I've managed to get by this far." She smiled. She didn't want to let him know that every night when she came home she was terrified that something terrible was going to happen to her, that she would become just another statistic, another casualty in the corruption of Gotham.

"I don't know about this." He muttered. She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Well where do you expect me to live Mr. Wayne?"

"Bruce."

"What?"

"It's Bruce, and I don't know. Maybe, you could stay in my Penthouse for a few days." He suggested. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off, "Just until we figure out something more permanent."

"No, that's too generous and you know I could never pay you back."

"You wouldn't have to. Please, just let me help you." He pleaded. Emma was going to argue further and then just exit the car when suddenly she heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire coming from her apartment building, quickly followed by screaming and then dead silence. Emma looked up at the building and looked at Bruce, who seemed more worried than ever. She didn't know why he was so concerned about a stranger's safety. But maybe, this was a good thing. Maybe she should take advantage. She was poor and he was rich. He obviously liked her and maybe by the time he got bored of her, he will have bought her enough things to get her to college. Who knows, if she played her cards right maybe he would send her to college and pay her mother's hospital bills. She never wanted to take advantage, she had always lived a good and honest life but Bruce Wayne wanted to take care of her. How could she pass up this kind of opportunity? Emma nodded at Bruce.

"Okay." She whispered. Her voice shook slightly.

"Okay?"

"I need help." She admitted finally.

"Okay." Bruce smiled reassuringly and started driving her back to his penthouse.

**PART II: MAE**

Cold, ugly and gruesome. She shivered in complete disgust as she watched the Joker snarl laugh into the camera. They had been playing the clip over and over again on the news and she couldn't stand it anymore. She was hoping that they would have more news about her brother's disappearance, about what they were doing about it, about if they had found the body yet. She wanted to know if he was really dead like they all said he was. Why the fuck did he have to be so stupid? Only a complete moron with no regard for his own safety would dress up like the Batman and try to fight crime. She didn't care what ridiculous justification he gave. Now, it had all caught up with him. He was the star of the Joker's newest motion picture. The clip cut out once again to the sounds of laughter and screaming. Mae felt sick. Her mother was in the living room, blankly staring at a picture of her brother, smiling with his parent's arms wrapped around him protectively. She couldn't bring herself to go talk to her. Instead Mae grabbed her coat and decided to go out. No matter how dangerous it was at this time of night. She didn't care anymore. She felt numb and she needed some fresh air.

The air was thick with fear. You could feel it as you walked outside. Everyone was too afraid to leave their homes, thinking that the Joker was going to get them. She should be afraid too but for some reason she didn't feel the least bit scared. She wandered passed a club on 62nd street and heard that music still pumping from behind closed doors. She remembered that she had met her first real boyfriend in that club when she had snuck in with a fake ID as a 16 year old. It seemed like it had been an eternity since then. Mae kept walking until she felt a little less shaky. Unfortunately by that time she found herself somewhere that she didn't want to end up. Right in front of Arkham Asylum. She felt like she could hear the screams and cackling of the inmates just from standing outside. Of course, it was totally silent on the street, other than the distant sirens. She wondered what really happened in that building, no one seemed to know what really went on behind those walls. She swallowed nervously and decided that this was probably the right time to turn around and go home. She glanced around the street and saw dark figures coming towards her. She started walking away quickly, back the way she came. Hoping that the figures wouldn't be following her.

"Now what is a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?" The voice seemed calm but had a slightly unhinged edge to it. She spun around to face a tall and slim man in a suit. Not at all what kind of person was expecting to be standing there. He had thick glasses that made it hard for her to look him in the eyes and short and slightly waving brown hair. Then she realized who he was and her blood went cold.

"I killed my father." She blurted out suddenly. He seemed taken aback for a moment, "On the night that the city went crazy." She stared at him darkly. Images flashing into her head, "Technically though, you killed him, I just pulled the trigger." Jonathon Crane stared at the interesting specimen in front of him. She knew exactly who he was and yet she didn't seem afraid of him. Maybe he had caused more emotional damage to her than he had done to most. He certainly hoped that's what it was. She was a pretty girl. Innocent in looks and yet her eyes held something strangely darker. Maybe he had caused that.

"You don't seem angry with me." He noticed. She didn't seem to want to hurt him or try to avenge her father's death.

"I hated my father." She admitted before suddenly jumping when someone put a hand on her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat and the person leaned down and left his mouth lingering close to her ear for a long moment before speaking.

"That's something we have in common then." There was a laugh that followed the sentence, a laugh that no one could ever mistake. The Joker. This time she was very afraid. Shaking even and frozen in her place. He had a knife in his hand and was running it down her bare arm softly, as if teasing her.

"She's much more afraid of you than she is of me." Jonathon noticed, "I wonder what you did to make her so afraid." Jonathon looked at the Joker with disapproval as he moved his knife and pressed it against her neck. She was whimpering now, tears falling down her cheeks, "What's your name?" He asked. The girl didn't respond.

"Answer his question." The Joker demanded. Mae scrambled for her voice and was grateful that she found it before he got really angry.

"Mae, Mae Douglas." She whispered.

"Douglas… that sounds familiar." The Joker said and looked at Jonathon, "Doesn't that name sound –uh- familiar doc?" Jonathon just shook his head and turned away from them. Looking around the street to make sure that no one was coming, "Did I by any chance _kill_one of your family? I think I might have killed someone named Douglas, but I've done it so many times now. It's so hard to keep track. You understand."

"My brother, Ryan." She cried, "You made a video with him."

"Ahhh… I remember now. It's _all_coming back to me. He was the one who pretended to be the Batman." Mae wanted to nod but was afraid that the knife was going to sink into her flesh so she simply stayed quiet, "That wasn't very smart of him. You see, I want to –uh- _kill_the Batman. Not your brother."

"But you didn't kill the Batman and you won't ever kill the Batman." Mae spat angrily. The Batman was Gotham's savior and her hero. He was her brother's hero too but he had taken that admiration to a whole new level. Another chilling laugh came from the Joker. Jonathon Crane on the other hand was dead silent. He stared at his companion coldly but made no move to stop him.

"That's where you're wrong beautiful." He replied. Moving his free hand to wrap around her waist securely, "Well doc? What do you think? Should we keep her? She'd make a cute pet don't you think?" Dr. Crane turned his attention back to the terrified girl. He could feed off her fear, and it made him feel good. His eyes lingered over her body. She was slim but shapely, an attractive girl and the Joker was holding her a bit too close for his liking. Nevertheless, he wanted to keep her around for a while.

"Yes. I think she would." A sort of twisted smirk appeared on Jonathon's face as he answered Joker. Mae started struggling viciously now, not at all minding the knife on her neck as she tried to get away. The Joker pulled the knife away before he accidently killed her and held her wrists behind her back.

"Hmm… I think for once I –uh- agree with you doc." The Joker sneered and hit Mae over the head roughly, knocking her unconscious instantly. He then let her drop to the pavement in a heap, "I'm surprised Crane, you usually don't _approve_ of these types of things."

"Now that we're working together we need to have some kind of common ground. She's beautiful and I don't object to having a little fun every once and a while. As long as it doesn't interfere with any of our work." He looked at the Joker sternly, knowing it wouldn't do any good either way. Joker would do what he wanted whenever he wanted, he believed in chaos, where as Crane was a man of order and timing. However, now they had something in common. The girl. Crane looked at her fallen body and smirked. He was going to enjoy her.

Mae woke up, dazed and confused. She didn't know where she was but she knew it was dark. She opened her eyes to find that the only source of light was a window, half covered by wood, high above her. She seemed to be in some kind of warehouse. Looking around she found that she was tied to a bed, well not really a bed, more of a cot. Gagged. She felt like she was suffocating. She tried to scream but her voice was horse and there was really no point, no one was going to hear her. The Joker was a twisted man, but he was clever and he knew about the other girls who had disappeared just like her. Their mangled bodies had only been found months later, with a smile carved into their face so that they would be forever smiling. Mae shuttered and started crying upon realizing that soon she would be one of those girls. Dead. She felt sick.

A heavy metal door flew open on the other side of the warehouse. Mae tried to lift her head to see who it was but found it too challenging with her wrists bound and attached to the posts of the bed. She couldn't move anything except her legs, which were left free. Laughing came from the door and she knew exactly whom it was. Her stomach dropped in dread. She had somewhat been hoping that it was Scarecrow who was coming to see her, he didn't scare her as much as the Joker. He had a plan, a meaning behind every action. Joker didn't.

He took his time walking over to the bed. Mae squeezed her eyes shut, pretending that she was still unconscious. Her heart was beating erratically and she tried to control her heavy breathing. The footsteps stopped suddenly next to the bed. She could feel him looking down at her. She imagined that he was smiling, undressing her with his eyes as he thought up all the horrible things he could do to her.

"Time to wake up." He shook her shoulder and he eyes flew open involuntarily. She stared at him. His makeup was smudged, almost completely gone, as he looked back at her with dark hungry eyes, "Good girl." He stroked her hair and she started to cry again silently. Not uttering a single sound, "Oh shhhh…" He wiped away her tears and shushed her, almost like a caring mother would; "Nobody's going to hurt you beautiful." She was waiting for the ominous _yet_ to come but it never did. He continued to stroke her hair and he sat down next to her on the bed. She looked up at him helplessly, "You want to talk huh?" She nodded and he slowly pulled the gag from her mouth. She panted, relieved to be able to breath properly from her mouth again.

"How long will you keep me?" She asked. Hoping to get an honest answer. Maybe he would only keep her for a few days before he killed her, or maybe he would torture her slowly. Either way, she wanted to be mentally prepared for it.

"Well you see –uh- that isn't really up to just me." He smiled, "The doc, he took an _interest_ in you too. He wants to _keep_ you. Now me, I was never good at keeping my pets alive very long but the doc, he knows how to treat them right. You know, he remembers to feed them and keep them cared for and all that."

"I'm not a dog." She whispered.

"Oh no, I wasn't saying that at all." He laughed, "No, you're much too pretty to be mistaken for a dog." He thought for a moment, "Think of yourself as a form of _entertainment_, see, I like to be entertained." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She tried to move her head but he kept her restrained there for a long moment before pulling away.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked. He licked his lips.

"I won't force myself on you if that's what you're scared of." He laughed like a maniac, "I like things to be more consensual if you know what I mean. My methods are a bit more… cutting edge." He pulled out a knife from his pocket, "You see, I like my date to be begging for me to take her. And trust me my sweet, you'll be begging." He paused and flicked the knife open, teasing the blade with his fingers, "The doc though, he doesn't wait for the green light, you see, he likes to hear the screaming, the pleading for mercy when he, well you know…" Mae swallowed nervously. Maybe she shouldn't be more afraid of the Joker after all, "That sort of thing doesn't _turn__me__on_, it repulses me, but you know, for each their own." As she was digesting this new information, Mae decided that she needed to ask the singlehanded most important question that she had.

"Is there any chance that you'll let me leave alive?" She squeaked. The Joker contemplated this for a moment. None of the other girls had managed to leave alive but maybe…

"Yes." He replied, "If you do exactly what you're –uh- told, then I don't see why we'd have to _kill_ you." Mae didn't find what he was saying very comforting but she took his advice to heart. She needed to survive this, for her mother's sake and everyone else who loved her. Mae had never been a loner, she always surrounded herself with people and she considered these people her family. She needed to get back to them, they were no doubt worried sick about her and she didn't want to end up like her brother.  
>"Okay." Mae said softly. Allowing her head to lull sideways, she was too exhausted to keep it upright anymore.<p>

"Tired?" The Joker asked and she nodded, "Go to sleep then my lovely, it's going to be an exciting week. You won't want to miss a second." He laughed in the hysterical way he did but this time Mae didn't care. She just let her eyes droop and close before drifting off into what she hoped would be an eternal sleep. She didn't bother hoping that any moment now she would wake up in her bedroom to realize that it had all been a dream, no, she knew that this was real. That she wouldn't be able to escape. For now, sleep was the only refuge she had.


	2. On The Car Ride Down

**PART I: EMMA**

Emma woke up comfortably for the first time in a long time. Soft and warm covers were wrapped around her she smiled and decided that she didn't want to open her eyes yet. She could feel the morning sun against her face. That was odd, she didn't have many windows in her room and the curtains were always drawn tight, like everyone else's windows in the narrows. She tossed and turned over, shocked by the sound of someone chuckling softly beside her. Her eyes flew open and she sat up in bed. Wrapping the sheets tightly around her chest and looking around the unfamiliar room, searching for the origin of soft laugh. Her eyes fell upon none other than Bruce Wayne. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Bruce?" She asked softly. He smiled and put a hand out to touch her hair softly. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to remember how she got here before realizing that she didn't even know where here was, "Where am I?"

"In my penthouse. You fell asleep in the car, I carried you up here." He told her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She looked down at herself and found that she was still wearing the same clothes as the night before. Everything came rushing back and she felt extremely self-conscious. She remembered that she accepted his offer and that she was going to have to live with this man she barely knew for the time being. She wondered what the hell she had been thinking last night. She had simply been scared by the gunfire. She glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table and was horrified to see how late it was in the morning already.

"I have to go to work, I'm going to be late." She announced and tried to get out of bed. Bruce stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her down.

"No. Stay the day. I'll have Alfred make us breakfast in bed and we'll spend the day getting to know each other. I make it a point of knowing the person who's going to stay in my house." He smiled and winked at her. Emma shook her head.

"I have to go to work. I really need to money." She smiled sadly, "Especially if I'm going to move into a new neighborhood." Bruce got closer to her, uncomfortably so, and put his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly.

"Don't worry about any of that."

"What do you mean?"

"I can give you a job. One that pays much better than a coffee shop. Then I'll be able to spend time with you and you won't be so concerned about financial issues." Bruce explained, grinning the entire time. His eyes sparkled excitedly. He didn't know why he was so intrigued with the poor girl. He hadn't had these types of feelings for anyone other than Rachel. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lip as she contemplated what he had just said. She really wanted to take him up on the offer but wondered about his intentions.

"I don't know why you would want to get to know me so much. I'm not that interesting trust me." She blushed and looked down at the sheets.

"I beg to differ." He slowly moved his hand to cover hers. She blushed harder as he played with her hand, stroking it softly with her fingers, "You interest me." She smiled softly.

"You interest me too." She said and looked around to better examine the room in wonder, "You're way of life, it's really amazing." She bounded out of bed. A new burst of energy flowing through her. She went to the window and looked around. The view of Gotham was spectacular. From this viewpoint it looked like a beautiful and peaceful city. She knew that wasn't the reality but at the moment it was nice to pretend. This must be the city that Bruce saw every day, instead of the city she saw. She turned to Bruce again, her eyes full of wonder and excitement. An easy smile formed on his face. She was an innocent. With everything she must have gone through she managed to retain this naïve and lovable persona. He was glad he had brought her home.

"Like the view?" He asked.

"It's beautiful." She turned her back on him again, "I've never been this high up before. It's really the most amazing thing I think I've ever seen." She smiled. In that moment she felt like a child coming down the stairs at Christmas to find stacks and stacks of presents under the tree. Of course, Emma had never had that experience as a child so maybe she was wrong to compare the two experiences.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Bruce walked up behind her and wrapped and touched her hair lightly, "Come to breakfast. Alfred's cooking is to die for."

"Alfred?" She asked turning to face him. He was rather close, too close for this early on in their relationship.

"My butler." He said. Emma shouldn't have been surprised that he had a butler but she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly, "C'mon, I'll introduce you." He led her out of the room into a large living room with a kitchen attached. As Emma imagined, it was all very fancy and classy. An old looking man in a proper suit was setting the table on the balcony. They walked towards him.

"Ah Master Bruce." Alfred raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl that Bruce had carried in last night. The girl next to him looked rather timid and walked foreword slowly. It wasn't like Bruce to take home girls, despite what the tabloids thought of him, "And who is this lovely young lady with you?"

"Alfred, I'd like to introduce Emma." He took her hand lightly and pulled her out onto the balcony, "Emma this is Alfred." The girl smiled and held out a hand for him to shake. Alfred obliged her and smiled back at her as she returned to his work.

"Oh let me help you!" She exclaimed and took the orange juice from him to poor it into the two glasses.

"Miss, that's my job."

"No I insist, I'm the guest and I don't know how else I can repay you." She smiled and started taking over what Alfred was doing. Alfred leaned closed to Bruce as they both watched the girl.

"I like this one." He said and Bruce laughed hardily. Emma looked up and smiled before frowning when she noticed that they had only set two places at the table.

"Won't you be joining us Alfred?" She cocked her head to the side and glanced at Bruce.

"I'm afraid I've already eaten Miss."

"Please call me Emma." She said, "I really don't like all this formality." She sat down on the chair and looked out upon the view. The morning air was crisp and warm and a small shiver went down her spine. Bruce walked over to the table and sat down across from her. He took a sip from his orange juice and examined her.

"So, Emma, what are you skills?" He asked, his gruff voice pulling her out of her thoughts. Emma turned to him quizzically, "If I'm to hire you I must know what your good at."

"Oh, well I guess I could do clerical work rather well, if you need an assistant or something." She answered. Reaching for a piece of toast and slathering it with jam. She tried to be graceful but she couldn't hide her hunger. Bruce wondered when the last time she ate was and the thought disturbed him. She was so thin.

"There's nothing else you would prefer doing?"

"Well I don't really have any specialize skill. I can't be a lawyer or anything like that so I guess I'm okay with just organizing you." She smiled, "I don't know how much time that will take though, your life seems so hectic." She said sarcastically as she glanced around the seemingly serene setting, her eyes fixing on Bruce, amused. He shrugged.

"You'd be surprised." Batman took up most of his life.

"Well then it's settled." She smiled. She was too cute, Bruce thought, too adorable. He didn't want to mess her up. He would mess her up. He knew he would. He was too secretive, too self-destructive but he wanted her. Oh god he wanted her to be his more than anything, "When should I start?"

"How about we talk business after breakfast." Bruce suggested and she nodded, digging back into her food. She felt like a total pig but she couldn't help herself. It was so good and she was so hungry. Her thoughts drifted back to the expensive penthouse. She couldn't believe she was going to live there. Right now, she felt pretty good and she didn't want that to end. Bruce was going to solve all her problems. She needed his help now more than ever and she was so grateful that he had come along right when he had. Bruce's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and excused himself from the table as he picked it up.

"Rachel, I didn't expect to hear from you." He said and smiled into the phone. His smile was a big too big for Emma's liking and she felt a wave of jealousy run through her. Bruce Wayne was her savior. She needed to keep his attention on her, at least for a while. She didn't know how she could keep him interested though. He was Bruce Wayne after all, he had everything, and she had nothing. She needed to find something that would keep him interested. So if she had to play some kind of game to do that. She would. She would do almost anything at this point. Waking up in this penthouse was the best thing that had ever happened to her, she didn't want to lose that. Rachel. She would remember that name. Just in case.

Bruce and Emma talked for what seemed like the longest time before he got another phone call and had to leave. There was something that he had to take care of for work. Emma nodded her understanding and Bruce told her that if she had any questions about the penthouse to ask Alfred, that he would take care of anything that she needed. She rather liked that idea. However, when the time came she realized that it would definitely be best if she went to work at the restaurant. She had to remind herself that she has just met Bruce and she couldn't actually depend on him just because he had given her a little taste of the sweet life. She didn't want to bother Alfred who seemed rather preoccupied so she simply took a shower in the most amazing shower in the world and slipped out of the penthouse. The walk there was one of the longest in her life. She wasn't particularly adept with the route and she also had a lot to think about. She wondered if maybe her intent with the billionaire made her a gold digger. Probably, though she didn't like thinking of herself that way. Bruce was everything a girl could ask for. He was handsome, charming, sexy, and he had everything in the world on the tip of his fingers. She went a little weak in the knees when she thought about him. Just as she arrived in the kitchen and went to put her purse down she was attacked from behind.

"Tell me everything!" Kim squealed, "Brandon told me that he saw you get into Bruce Wayne's car last night and that he had to call a cab for those other two hoes." She giggled evilly at that and Emma blushed deeply.

"He just drove me home, that's all." She stated. She didn't want Kim knowing that she was temporarily living in Bruce's penthouse. She didn't want anyone to know about that.

"That can't be all! You're holding out on me aren't you?" Kim crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Emma.

"No of course I'm not. That's all he did I swear."

"Well he likes you, you know." Kim grinned.

"Yeah, I know. I like him too, it's just that…" Emma didn't really want to get into her whole insecurities with Kim but she really didn't have anyone else to talk to, "He's so rich, and I'm so… not. I just, I don't know how I could keep him interested in me. Not to mention how uneducated I am in the ways of the upper class. What if he invites me to some kind of party or something and I make a total fool of myself. I just… really don't want to humiliate myself in front of him."

"You won't." Kim put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

Emma would like to believe her but she just couldn't.

"Okay, well we'd better get to work." Emma sighed and wrapped an apron around her waist and grabbed a small notepad.

"Seriously Emma, everything's going to be okay."

"Whatever you say." Emma smiled sadly and walked out of the kitchen to face another long night at work.

**PART II: MAE**

Mae forced her eyes to open, though they didn't seem to want to comply. It was pitch black in the room and it frightened her. It must be night, she thought, or maybe not. She didn't know anymore. She didn't know where she was, or what she was going to do or what they were going to her. She was starving and thirsty, she knew that much. She felt like she hadn't eaten in days and maybe she hadn't. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious. She pulled on the shackles that were attached to her wrists and kept her bound to the bed. There was no way she was ever going to escape them. They were starting to really hurt, the metal was digging into her skin and her whole body ached from not being able to move very much. For the first time in her life she truly felt bad for herself. She always felt self-pity was pathetic when she saw it on other people. She always thought that they should just get over themselves and keep moving forewords. But she couldn't move forewords, she couldn't move at all. She was stuck and no amount of wishful thinking was going to help her now.

She heard the door open and close. Her head craned to see whom it who had entered but all she saw was a dark figure come towards her. Ominous footsteps approached the bed and she whimpered as a hand touched her face. Even with such close proximity she couldn't make out the face of the person who was hovering over her, standing at the side of the bed. She heard a click and a light suddenly went on above her. A single light bulb as suspended above her, a metal cord coming down that obviously turned it on and off that she hadn't notice before. The light blinded her for a moment before finally she came face to face with Jonathan Crane.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. His hands were actually soft and they stroked her cheek lightly. She didn't want to answer his question. Instead she just moved her head away from him, not wanting to meet his crisp blue eyes that pierced her to the core, "Don't be that way." He took her chin and twisted her head so that she was looking at him again, "Answer the question."

"How do you think I'm _feeling_?" She spat out, choking on tears already. She shivered. No food meant no body heat. Crane noticed this and reached out to pull the blankets around her meager body. He then reached up to unlock one of the shackled, followed quickly by the other one. Mae was shocked and she felt hope race through her body, she instantly regretted that feeling.

"Don't get too excited. I'm simply unlocking them so you can eat something. Make any kind of move and the next time, I'll be feeding you with a spoon." Dr. Crane sneered. Mae looked down at the food Crane was holding out to her, a muffin and some coffee. She realized that it must be morning. Her arms shook uncontrollably as she took the coffee. It was steaming hot and burned going down her throat. She then took the muffin and took a huge bite. She was much hungrier than she thought she was. Mid way through her bite though, before she swallowed, she looked down at the muffin in her hand and her eyes widened. She coughed and spat it all out. Unfortunately the half chewed muffin fell on Dr. Crane who was absolutely disgusted. She quickly tried to get every trace of the muffin out of her mouth, not even noticing the furious doctor in front of her until he backhanded her across the face. Her head snapped to one side and she looked up at him. He took the hot coffee and poured it on her exposed arm. She screamed, the coffee was scalding hot, more so than she thought.

"What the fuck was that?" He yelled at her, his nice and composed features turning ugly and vicious in mere seconds, "Is this your way to rebel?"

"No! It was a blu-blueberry muffin." She cried pathetically.

"And?"

"I'm allergic to blueberries." She sniffled. Staring down at her burned arms. She was hungrier than ever now, "My throat closes up and I go into anaphylactic shock." She wondered if maybe it would have been better if she had just let it happen, maybe they would have had to take her to a hospital, but it was more likely that they would have just let her die.

Dr. Crane reminded silent as he studied her. She looked truly sad and pitiful in that moment. She was starving and yet the one item of food he had brought her she couldn't eat. The coffee had now been poured all over her arm and burned her. She was just sitting there, eyes fixed on her lap. Her hair was a mess and she had gone pale. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She was completely vulnerable. And Jonathon was completely turned on. He grabbed her wrist and quickly secured it back in the shackled and did the same thing with the other one before she even had time to protest. Then he stood up quickly and wiped the remains of the muffin off his pants and let them fall to the concrete floor. He looked at her hungrily. Her eyes were wide as if she knew that something terrible was going to happen in that moment. He appraised her body. God she was beautiful, even with dirty clothes on, he couldn't wait to see what was underneath. He hopped on the bed and hastily ripped her shirt open, revealing her bra. Mae shrieked and tried to kick him but Jonathan quickly made her legs immobile by covering them with his own, straddling her. She felt that he was aroused and that made her struggle and scream even more, tears pouring out of her eyes. He put a finger to her lips.

"Shush Mae, I want you to answer all my questions okay. I don't want to hurt you." He said softly, fingering a lock of her hair. She nodded slowly, "How old are you?"

"17." She answered quietly.

"Are you still a virgin?" He asked unceremoniously. She looked up at him. She didn't want to answer but she knew that whether she did or didn't the result would be the same. The Joker was right about this man.

"Yes." She said truthfully. She had wanted her first time to be special, with someone she loved, with someone who loved her. Maybe that had just been the fantasy of a little girl. Her stomach churned violently when she saw Dr. Crane's mouth turn up into a sick sort of smile as he slowly removed his glasses and set them on the table beside the bed.

"Then I'm afraid this is going to hurt." He grinned, "A lot."

Joker could hear the screams even from where he was sitting in the small living space attached to the warehouse. The girl sounded as though she was being ripped apart limb by limb. In a way he supposed that she was. If he were a better man he would have gone into that warehouse and stopped Crane but he wasn't. He sat there and listened to her scream and cry. The henchmen around him were doing the same thing, though a lot of them seemed to be taking a lot more pleasure out of it then the Joker was. They were grinned at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Why does the doctor get to have all the fun?" One of them snickered.

The screaming stopped shortly afterwards and there was complete silence coming from the warehouse. A few moments later, Jonathan Crane emerged through the door, his face was serious but Joker saw a sick satisfaction and smugness in his eyes. Crane nodded to Joker before he cleared his throat and addressed the henchmen in the room. He was conducting another experiment at Arkum and he required their help. Apparently he was dealing with a particularly difficult patient.

Once they were all gone Joker stood up and made his way over to the warehouse door. He walked in and found that he almost had a moment of sympathy upon seeing the scene in front of him. She was crying softly. Crane had apparently let her out of the shackles and now she simply had her knees up to her chin and she whimpering pathetically. Her lips were swollen, her hair was tangled and she looked completely broken.

Mae didn't look up as the Joker approached, he wasn't laughing today. She felt so… she didn't even know how she felt. Violated. Disgusted. Ripped to pieces. Shattered. She couldn't even process everything in her mind. Joker sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"How about we get you –uh- cleaned up." He said in full seriousness. His voice was low, unlike usual and his makeup was almost all wiped off. She lowered her head and nodded, trying to get up before realizing that she couldn't. She sort of fell into his arms and he lifted her up and carried her to the washroom.

She was soaking in the bath now. She didn't care that Joker was watching her or that he had seen her naked now. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind to be embarrassed. She just kept thinking about Dr. Crane and how he had looked when he was on top of her. How he seemed to enjoy it when she screamed in pain. She shuttered violently. Joker rubbed her back upon noticing this. She was surprised that he was doing this for her. She didn't think that there was anything good in The Joker. She thought that he had lost his sanity and therefore his empathy but maybe she was wrong.

"How are you –uh- doing kid?" He asked.

"Can't you let me go?" She looked up with tears in her eyes, "Please, just tell him that I escaped or that you killed me or something. I'll move to a different city, a different country if I have to, anything. Please." She pleaded.

"No." He stated quickly without giving it a second thought.

"He's going to do it again and again and again and I can't live with that." She cried. Joker knew she was right.

"I can't let you leave." There was a long moment of silence that preceded his words as Mae thought.

"Then just kill me." She mumbled, "Please, show some mercy." She was so consumed by the pain and the memories to think about the implications of what she was saying. She didn't think about her mother or her friends or anyone. She just wanted to slip away into eternal darkness, away from all of this. Mae had always thought of herself as a strong girl, prepared for anything life threw at her, she just now realized that she wasn't at all. She wasn't prepared for what Jonathan Crane had just done to her and now she couldn't remember why she had thought of herself as tough in the first place. Why she thought that she might be able to live through this experience.

"You don't know what your asking for doll." He hit her on the side of the head gently, "Snap out of it." He laughed. Mae didn't even react. She just stared straight in front of her blankly. He didn't know if what he was saying was even getting through. Joker got up and stormed out of the bathroom. Mae didn't look up as he left. Joker got his phone out and dialed a familiar number, "You broke her." He growled into the phone. Jonathan just started chuckling darkly. Joker wondered when he got so deranged, almost as deranged as the Joker himself.

"How is my little princess… traumatized?" Jonathan laughed.

"She catatonic. Obviously she didn't enjoy your little encounter as much as you did." Joker stated coldly.

"Don't be that way. You knew it was going to happen. What's the point of keeping her if I can't play with her?"

Joker slammed the phone shut, he didn't know what he was trying to achieve with that phone call. But he knew he was angry and he didn't know who to take it out on. He left Mae to wallow in the bath tub and stormed out of the house, he knew it was time to shake things up a bit in boring and corrupted city.


	3. I Hear It In My Head

**EMMA**

**PART I: PRESENT**

It was a slow night at the restaurant and she able to relax and sit down in the kitchen as she waited for someone to call her name and inform her that someone had sat down in her section. When she wasn't working diligently Emma liked to find a little time to read, Cormac McCarthy mainly. She had never really been a fan of romances from Jane Austen or the Bronte sister, like her friends at school. She liked reading McCarthy, she like things to be dark and realistic rather than light and romantic. The other girls at school had sometimes made fun of her for not like romance novels. They always said that even in a Jane Austen novel, she wouldn't get the guy. They had never really liked her much at school, too quiet, too smart, and too nice. Something about her always irked other teenage girls, not the boys though. No, she was pretty popular amongst the boys. They liked the fact that she never said much. It gave them more time to talk about themselves.

"Emma!" Carson, one of the other waiters called her name and she placed her novel on the counter and approached him, "You'll never believe who just sat down in your section." He grinned mischievously.

"Who?" She asked, surprised that anyone had. Her section was right at the back, and hardly half of the restaurant had been occupied last she checked.

"Bruce Wayne." Carson answered, "And he's alone." Carson winked at her and shooed her through the revolving doors, "What are you waiting for, go take his order." Emma furrowed her brow. He had actually come alone? Why was her here to begin with. Emma was perfectly capable of completing the short walk back to the Penthouse on her own, even he couldn't think she was in any danger in this part of town. She saw him, at the back of the restaurant glancing at the menu. She walked over with a smile tugging at her lips.

"Going to dine alone Mr. Wayne?" She asked and looked down at him with one eyebrow raised. He smiled up at her and closed the menu.

"Of course not. That's not really my style." He smirked, "I was hoping the cute waitress would join me." He winked and indicated for her to sit down. She stared incredulously at him.

"Um, I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to eat with the clientele. That's rather unprofessional, don't you think Mr. Wayne?"

"What have I told you about calling me that."

"I'm at work. I'm supposed to address the patron formally." She stated. He chuckled lightly and leaned back in his chair.

"So many rules Emma, why don't you just sit down and enjoy a nice meal with me. You aren't busy." He looked around the half-empty restaurant to prove his point, "Besides, I believe I just bought the place. So that would technically make me your boss." Emma snorted but nodded her head and sat down across from him.

"Well played Mr. Wayne, but if I don't serve you, who will. You're in my section after all." She said. Bruce thought about it for a moment.

"Maybe you should serve dinner for the both of us then. If you're so intent on working tonight," He suggested and looked rather pleased with himself, "I don't know what I should order. Do you have any recommendations?"

"No. I've never eaten here before, but everyone says the steak is really good." She said. He nodded.

"Fine, I'll have that. With the most expensive bottle of red wine you have." She nodded and jotted down his order, "Now what do you want?" She sighed and looked at the menu. She had never eaten any of the foods listed really, they all had fancy names and it all seemed to be written in a different language. Her mind drew a blank when she tried to recall what other people had ordered, while she had been working here. Bruce looked at her lost expression, "I think you should have the salmon. It's really delicious and I think you'll like it."

Emma just rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen to order the food, where both Kim and Carson were both waiting excitedly.

"So?" Kim raised her eyebrows.

"So, we're having dinner together." Emma replied and tried to ignore them as she gave the chef their order, letting him know that it was the owner's order. She thought it would be better if they didn't keep Bruce Wayne waiting.

"When?" Kim clapped her hands together.

"Right now." Emma smiled innocently, "I'm sorry that you guys will be on your own for the rest of the night. He is technically my boss after all and he says that I have to, and the best part is that I'm still getting paid." Emma mimicked Kim by clapping her hands together and giving her an overly fake enthusiastic smile.

"That's great." Kim smiled tightly, not understanding why Emma was suddenly giving her attitude. The truth was the Emma was getting mighty sick of all these people. She didn't want to work here anymore. She didn't want to serve snotty people food and deal with very over the top happy people. She didn't want to come in to work every night to see a huge smile plastered on Kim's face who would then proceed to make her talk about things that she didn't want to talk about. She was tired of not being able to use the education or anything that she studied so diligently at school. She was tired of scrambling for money, and skipping meals because if she didn't she wouldn't be able to pay her rent. She was sick of being afraid of walking home or going outside her apartment ever, even during the day.

Emma didn't say another word as she walked back into the restaurant to meet Bruce Wayne who was waiting for her patiently.

"Hey." She smiled at him as she sat down.

"Hey yourself." He replied casually smirking at her, "So what are you doing tomorrow?" He asked. She looked at him and shrugged.

"How about if I told you that I am taking you on my boat?"

"I would tell you that I don't know how to swim so I'm not sure I would want to go on your boat." She answered, "I don't think I want to drown."

"I don't think you would be in any danger of that happening. It's a yacht not a canoe." He laughed. Emma just smiled nervously. So he was serious, he wanted to take her on his boat.

"I don't have a bathing suit."

"I'm sure we can figure something out." Bruce continued to give her his charming smile that could make her do practically anything, no matter how against it she was, "It'll be fun, you and me on the open water, peaceful, sunny, champagne on the deck… how else are you going to spend a lovely Saturday, cooped up in the city? That would be tragic." Emma smiled tightly.

"I told you I visit my mother on Saturdays." She said. Bruce's smile dropped from his face immediately and that look of sympathy returned. She hated that look.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly, "I shouldn't have suggested it. Maybe another time then." Bruce looked disappointed. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Emma asked a question that she never thought she would ask anyone.

"Would you like to meet her?" Her voice was quiet, hesitant, she didn't want to make Bruce feel obliged, "I mean, I understand if you don't want to but she doesn't really get many visitors, especially not from celebrities." She winked. Bruce was touched. He actually felt like after such a short amount a time she was letting him into her world, something that she obviously didn't do for many people. He smiled and agreed to come with her on Saturday. Her face lit up. There was a spark of newfound hope in her eyes and Bruce knew that he had put that there. Somehow he actually felt more self-fulfilled helping this girl then he did roaming the streets of Gotham as Batman. As Emma looked at Bruce she couldn't help but wonder what their future would hold.

**PART II: FUTURE**

2 Years Later

Emma latched the diamond earring onto her ear before stepping back and examining herself in the mirror once again. She found that she always looked extremely delicate when she went to these events, everyone else looked hard and sharp but she always seemed soft. Another way that people could easily tell that she didn't belong amongst this group of people. She spun around in the elegant deep blue dress she was wearing, the back sloped dangerously low and the fabric was silky and flowed down her body. She stepped into some black strappy high-heeled shoes to complete the look. Rather pleased with how she looked that night, feeling less self-conscious than usual, she walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. Bruce was standing in front of a full-length mirror, pulling on his suit jacket. She smiled and walked over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. He looked up but didn't return the smile.

"Is everything okay?" She asked. He had been acting a little on edge lately. She supposed that everyone in Gotham was on edge because of the Joker but she didn't know why the recent mayhem had taken a particular toll on Bruce, "Are you sure you want to go out to dinner tonight? I don't mind just staying in." She suggested. He looked her over and shook his head.

"No, look how beautiful you look already. Let's go, it'll be fun." He forced a smile and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded and turned around to walk out of the room and grab her purse. Alfred was waiting at the entrance of the penthouse and smiled at her.

"You look lovely Misses Wayne." He complimented her.

"Thank you, is the car ready?" She asked and grabbed her purse, riffling through it to make sure she had her blackberry and her keys, just in case work called Bruce away, which happened more than Emma had hoped. Bruce came strolling down the stairs and with his usual swagger. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before pulling on his shoes.

"Yes, the valet is pulling Lamborghini around for you downstairs." Alfred told her and she nodded and gave him a wide smile. She loved that ca. It was her favorite of Bruce's wide collection.

"Can I drive?" She asked excitedly.

"No chance in hell." Bruce said flatly and opened the door for her, "We'll see you later Alfred." Emma opened her mouth to protest but closed it again. Even she had to admit that she was a terrible driver. He took her hand and they descended to the lobby in the elevator. His lips were attached to her neck and she was trying extra hard not to moan. His effect on her was undeniable and sometimes she wished that she didn't react so strongly to the littlest things. The elevator doors opened and they walked together to the beautiful car. Emma let her fingers run against it as the valet opened the door for her. She could never really get used to all these people rushing to do things for her. It all still seemed surreal.

"So, the usual place?" Bruce asked.

"Sure." Emma agreed. They ate at the restaurant where she used to work often. Not just because Bruce owned it, but also because it was romantic. The scene of where they first met. The food was amazing, more amazing than she thought it was when she was just serving it. She still saw a little bit of her friends from the restaurant but she had to admit that she felt a little guilty about how infrequently it was. All her friends from her old life were pretty much replaced with new friends, Bruce's friends; people from his work or simply some of the nicer socialites. They walked into the restaurant, Bruce in front of her. His mood seemed to lighten considerably as he saw someone he recognized and moved forewords to meet them.

"Rachel, fancy that."

"Wow Bruce, fancy that." Rachel Dawes was sitting next to the new DA Harvey Dent, who she was apparently dating. It was hard to describe Emma's relationship with Rachel, they weren't friends, but they weren't enemies either. She wasn't sure if she liked or disliked Rachel, or how Rachel felt about her. They were civil towards each other whenever they met, which thankfully wasn't that often, but things had always been tense between them, "And Emma it's nice to see you." Rachel greeted her politely.

"You too." Emma said quickly and smiled sweetly.

"This is Harvey Dent." Rachel introduced them to her date and Bruce and him shook hands.

"The famous Bruce Wayne, Rachel's told me everything about you." He said.

"I certainly hope not." Bruce replied and Emma smiled despite herself, "So let's put some tables together." Emma wanted to tell him that this was not a good idea and Harvey seemed just about as eager as she was.

"I don't think they'll let us do that."

"They should. I own the place." Bruce said as he indicated for the waiters to do just what he had said. Bruce turned to Emma and smiled but she couldn't return it.

"I thought this was an opportunity for us to finally spend some time alone." She whispered, trying to seem as pleasant as possible, "I haven't seen you at all for the last… well month." He was always working, he spent his nights doing god knows what with god knows who and it was starting to get to Emma.

"We spend tons of time together." He whispered back, glancing at Rachel and Dent who didn't seem to be paying any attention.

"Oh really? And when's that Bruce? Was that between when you get home at 4 in the morning and when you go to work? 'Cause I don't think that exactly counts as quality time, what exactly are you doing at those ungodly hours Bruce? " She hissed at him. Bruce's face turned cold. Rachel and Harvey were definitely paying attention now.

"This is not the place nor time to make a scene." He answered and glanced at the other couple. Emma's cheeks reddened and she composed herself.

"Excuse me." She said quickly and started walking away. She started heading for the washroom but somehow ended up in the kitchen. She looked around frantically hoping that maybe just maybe she would see…

"Emma!" Kim. She breathed a sigh of relief and practically ran over to her old friend and gave her a hug, "Wow, I am so happy to see you. We've all really missed you around here. It seems like it's been forever." Emma nodded in agreement and wiped tears away from her eyes, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just… he doesn't want to talk to me anymore about anything. Every time I bring it up he finds away to change the subject or avoid the conversation all together. I know he's been really stressed but he won't tell me why and I just feel… useless." Emma jumped leaned back against the counter and sighed.

"Well that sucks." Kim said, "I mean, do you think he's having an affair?"

"I don't know…" Emma answered. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it, "I hope not anyways." They talked for a long time but she had stopped talking about Bruce or her problems. She didn't like trusting people with her real issues and she always regretted it after letting her feelings out when she was talking to anyone other than Bruce. Even with Bruce at the beginning it had been difficult but now the tables had turned, now he was the one who had been keeping secrets from her. Kim was talking about her husband and her newborn baby, shoving a picture into Emma's face. Emma acted polite and praised the newborn but she knew that she would have to go back to dinner soon. Emma straightened up and hugged Kim again.

"It was good seeing you." She smiled, "To tell you the truth I kind of miss this place." She told her and the two girls laughed. Emma went to the washroom quickly and fixed her makeup before returning to the table. The three adults seemed to be in the midst of a deep discussion when she returned. Bruce barely looked up when she sat down next to him.

"Where did you go?" He asked, his voice revealed nothing of his emotions.

"I went to visit Kim, I haven't seen her in a long time." She told him and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"Kim?" Harvey asked.

"She's my friend, we both used to work here together." She stated happily. Harvey looked slightly confused and turned to Rachel with furrowed eyebrows. She was used to it, she got that response a lot from upper classmen. She knew that Harvey wasn't a snob but nobody seemed to think that it was possible for Bruce Wayne to be at all interested in a simply honest to god waitress, "I worked here for quite a while actually, before I met Bruce. Right over there." She pointed to a near by table, "Well, him and his… dates."

"Dates? Plural?" Harvey seemed amused and looked over at Bruce with a smirk on his face.

"It wasn't the greatest first impression." Emma admitted. A smiled broke out across Bruce's face as he threw an arm around her shoulder.

"You fell for me as soon as you laid eyes on me." He teased. She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Certainly not Mister Wayne. You were simply a rather annoying patron who insisted on asking me all about my life story. I was very intimidated by you at the time." She thought back upon that first meeting, it seemed like ages ago but really it wasn't that far back in the past.

"Are you saying that you're not still intimidated by me?" Bruce leaned in close to her and she just laughed. Suddenly, everything looked okay again. They were the happy couple that they always appeared to be to everyone else. The rest of the dinner went by smoothly, however, Emma felt rather left out of the conversation as per usual when she was around Bruce's friends. She was a lot younger than them and they all seemed a lot surer and open with their opinions. Bruce was on about Batman again, he never seemed to really like the caped crusader, where as Harvey was defending him adamantly. Emma liked listening to him talk. He was so confident, so compassionate. He had her convinced.

"What if Harvey Dent…" She grinned and held up a menu to cover the top of his face "Is the caped crusader."

"If I were sneaking out every night someone would have noticed by now." Harvey replied. Emma dropped the menu and looked over at Bruce. Her stomach churned uneasily. Harvey's words resonated in her mind. What if… no, he couldn't be, she thought while staring into his eyes. There was an awkward silence at the table. Rachel was looking at her intently, but she didn't notice. The wheels in her mind were spinning out of control. Bruce stared back at her and again his expression was unreadable. Bruce suddenly reverted his attention back to Harvey and he announced that he was going to throw him a party to raise money for his campaign. Emma forced a smile and bit her lip, still deep in thought. The rest of the evening went by quickly and before she knew it she was back at home, slipping off her dress and getting ready for bed. Bruce emerged from the washroom and he went over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" He asked, putting his lips on her neck.

"No." She told him honestly. Bruce sighed loudly.

"Well I'm sorry then." He said and dropped his head into the crook of her neck. She pulled away immediately, looking like she was on the brink of tears.

"Are you going out again tonight?" She asked, trying not to let the bitterness into her voice. Bruce just looked at her for a very long time without saying anything. She bit her lip nervously as she stared back at him.

"No, that wouldn't be fair to you." He finally broke the silence and eye contact with her, "I suppose I haven't exactly been very good to you recently, and I want to spend time with you I really do." Bruce told her, "I need you to trust me when I tell you that I've just been extremely busy at work and…"

"Are you having an affair?" Emma asked bluntly. Bruce froze.

"You think so little of me do you?"

"What do you want me to think? You leave at midnight and come back at dawn, and that's only when you come home at all. I mean, I worked with you Bruce, I see what you do and I know you've been more involved with your company recently but still…" She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands, "Plus with your reputation and everything I thought that an affair was probably more likely then the other option."

"What's the other option?" Bruce asked.

"That you're _Batman_." She laughed shakily. Silence.


	4. Real Low

**EMMA**

**PART I: PAST**

The hospital room was small and cramped. There were no flowers crowding the small side tables of cards of well wishes. The only sound was the reassuring beeping of the heart monitor. Emma sometimes had nightmares about the sound of that machine flat lining. The scary part that when she woke up she didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed that it was only a dream. It frightened her to no end really. Her life revolved around her mother's illness. She couldn't help but think that if her mother were to simply die, if she were finally put out of her misery, things would be a lot easier for her. They were terrible thoughts, she knew that, but she couldn't help herself from repeatedly lingering on the subject. Emma suddenly shook her head quickly and looked over at Bruce, who was standing behind her. Most men would be awkward in this situation but she was convinced now that Bruce Wayne was not capable of awkwardness. Emma slowly approached her mother's bedside.

"Mom?" She asked tentatively. The woman was staring at the wall opposite her blankly and did not turn when her daughter called. Emma feared that this was going to be one of her bad days. One of the days when her mother wasn't present at all, when her mind had somehow drifted away from her body, "Mom, I brought someone to see you." The light suddenly seemed to go on in the woman's head as he head snapped towards the two visitors. Emma smiled and went to hug her mother gently. However, the woman had her eyes firmly fixed on the other person in the room, "Mom, I would like you to meet Bruce Wayne." Emma stepped back and introduced him, "Bruce this is my mom, Mirabelle."

"Well Mirabelle it's a pleasure to meet you." He gave her a charming smile. Mirabelle seemed to appraise him before nodding at the television. Bruce glanced at it and nodded, "Yes, sometimes I appear on TV."

"Bruce is really famous. He owns his own company." Emma smiled proudly at her mother. As if somehow if somehow it was an accomplishment to even know this man. She sat down on the chair next to the bed and placed her hand on her mothers', "How are you feeling today?" She asked hopefully but as per usual there was no response. She frowned and turned to Bruce, "She doesn't talk much anymore. Well, at least not to me."

The visit didn't last long, she was anxious when Bruce was there. She would usually just talk to her mother about her week or the news, which was practically just talking to herself but she was too self-conscious now. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence in which Emma watched her mother stare into space, she turned to Bruce.

"We don't really have to stay all that long today. Sometimes she just disappears completely and she doesn't even notice that anyone's around her. It gets pretty boring just sitting here." She grimaced and tried not to show how deeply sad she was but she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions.

"Whatever you want to do I'm fine with." Bruce told her with a small sympathetic smile. He patted her on the shoulder. She returned the smile and stood up uneasily.

"Mom, we're leaving now." She spoke hopefully. There was no response. Emma just frowned and grabbed her purse, "Thanks for coming with me." She told the man beside her. She had never felt smaller then she did in that moment, she seemed so vulnerable next to the tall powerful Bruce Wayne.

Over the next week, Emma barely saw Bruce at all. She found it rather odd since she had moved in with him temporarily and was now technically working for him. He was distant and disappeared for hours on end when he was supposed to be attending meetings or fundraisers. On the rare occasions when she did see him she tried to remind him of everything that he had on his schedule and inform him of pending requests for his presence at social events. However, he always avoided the topic of work or anything pertaining to her job, and instead asked her how her day was going or how she was holding up at the restaurant. Sometimes he would ask her personal questions about her past. After a while she decided to give up. She noticed that he seemed to be sleeping in his bed, though he came back at ungodly hours in the morning and every night before she went to sleep she would put sticky notes on the lamp next to his bed for him to find the next morning. She felt almost embarrassed about doing it since it seemed so… childish, however she was pleased with the new system's effectiveness when he would pass he in the hallway at noon on his way out the door and say things like, _"Tell Mr. Edwards that I will not be able to attend his party next Friday due to a previous engagement."_ Emma would smile and turn to Alfred who would nod at her approvingly and say, _"You're the first women I've ever seen get through to him."_ And then he'd wink and walk away. Yes, her job with Mr. Wayne was going well, but she couldn't deny that she was a little disheartened by the lack of contact. She was finally settling in to the enormous penthouse but was rather lonely. Alfred was good company when he was around, but usually he spent all of his time at Wayne Manor, which was officially where Bruce lived, though for whatever reason he didn't sleep there anymore. She used to think he was living at the penthouse because of her but now she thought that she had been flattering herself before and it was really just out of convenience.

It was Saturday night and she was working a late shift at the restaurant. Everything seemed normal enough. The place was packed with the usual class of clientele. Emma was just wiping down her last table when one of the hosts' called her from the back. He handed her the phone and told her to be brief before sauntering off. She rolled her eyes at his false sense of superiority.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Yes hi, Emma. I was hoping I could reach you here…" She recognized the voice of her elderly neighbor Mrs. Murphy, "Look I don't want to bother you I've gotten myself into a predicament." Mrs. Murphy was a wheelchair bound widower, all her friends and family had died a while back and she was extremely lonely, much like Emma had been. The two had become quite friendly over the years living next to each other and Emma knew that she was the only one that Mrs. Murphy had.

"No it's no bother at all, how can I help?" Emma asked sweetly.

"You see I've fallen and I can't get up… I was reaching for something… anyway it was lucky that I had the phone in my hand or else I would have been stuck here 'till the grocery man came on Tuesday. Look I know you're at work but would you mind… I tried calling the hospital but they seem to be in some sort of state of emergency, the line was actually busy…" The old woman rambled on and Emma stifled a sigh. She was glad that she had the car that Bruce had lent her or else she it would take her forever to get to the narrows.

"It's fine Mrs. Murphy. I'll be there as soon as I can." Emma told her and then hung up the phone. She went to tell her boss that she would have to leave early and he begrudgingly agreed. She walked to parking lot quickly and got into the car, speeding off towards the narrows. She felt a little nostalgic as she made the familiar commute. Suddenly though she was pulled out of her reverie by a strange fog that seemed to descend on her about a block away from her old apartment. She pulled up to the building and got out of the car. She started coughing as soon as she breathed into the night air. Emma ran for the building, unlocking the door before quickly slamming it behind her. She felt a little dizzy and things were starting to jump out at her. The building itself was a little cloudy but not as bad as outside. She ran up the stairs and pulled the hidden key (which the elderly woman had always left for her) from above the doorframe.

"Mrs. Murphy?" She called. The apartment seemed disheveled, almost torn apart, "Mrs. Murphy!" She shouted. She heard faint whimpering coming from the kitchen. Emma moved towards the noise cautiously. Finally she reached the kitchen to find the old woman crying hysterically and clawing at the floor from her position on the floor. She noticed that the window was wide open and green gas was pouring through it. She stumbled towards Mrs. Murphy and shook her. When the woman looked up she started screaming like a maniac, "Mrs. Murphy it's okay! It's just me! It's Emma!" The screaming didn't stop though.

"Get away from me!" Mrs. Murphy shouted and suddenly brought her hands up from the floor and tried to push Emma away. The young girl backed away, at a lost for words, she suddenly felt a rush of fear as if it was entering her bloodstream. The cupboards, they were moving in and out of focus. Her vision was cloudy and all she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating frantically in her chest. She turned around, abandoning Mrs. Murphy on the floor and started sprinting out of the building. She could hear screaming in the distance, the sound of gunfire and the strong smell of ash and smoke. When she finally reached the street she saw people, attacking each other, crying, screaming. She fell to her hands and knees and started crying. She didn't know what was happening to her. She was seeing things, things that couldn't be there. She looked up and saw the figure of a man looming over her.

"Daddy." She whispered. Blood, it was pouring out of his eyes and his ears. The man was holding a large knife threateningly. She suddenly lunged for him. She pulled his legs from underneath him, making him fall backwards with a shout of surprise. She quickly grabbed the jagged knife from his hand. Voices, frantic voiced in her head, they were whispering to her. Telling her to kill him before he killed her. She was so afraid. She had always been afraid of him, afraid that he would come back. The man's hand lunged for her neck and with a strangled cry she plunged the knife into his chest. The man went still. Emma felt tears running down her cheeks before an eerie ringing noise sounded from her pocket. She pulled out her phone and waited for a moment before deciding to flip it open. Her throat was constricted however and she couldn't talk.

"Emma?" She heard the frantic voice through the phone but could only sob more loudly, "Emma tell me where you are!" Emma tried desperately to stop her beating heart from beating so loudly in her ears. Where was she? She could hardly think straight.

"I went back." Emma whispered then snapped the phone shut and dropped it as she curled into a ball and put her head on her knees.

**PART II: PRESENT**

Emma awoke with a jolt. She couldn't quite remember the nightmare she knew what it had been about. Though it wasn't a regular occurrence anymore, she still had nightmares about the night the city went crazy. She couldn't quite shake the graphics from her mind as much as she tried. She turned over to glance at the clock. It was 4 in the morning. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. She probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. She suddenly realized that the bed was usually cold. She quickly flipped over again only to have her suspicions confirmed. Bruce was gone. He couldn't make the excuse that he was at work at this hour, and he had "fallen asleep at the office" more times then she cared to remember. He seemed so offended, so _hurt_, that she would even accuse him of having an affair that her faith in his fidelity was instantly restored. She slipped out of bed and tiptoed out of her room. The penthouse was immersed in a deadly silence. She walked towards the living room, hoping to see her husband as she sometimes found him in the middle of the night. His head in his hands, the worry lines on his face greatly extenuated, his hair messy and his body hunched over. She would come up behind him and place her lips on the back of his neck, throw her arms around his shoulders and promise him that everything would seem better in the morning. She tried her hardest to soothe him but at times he seemed completely unreachable, as if his mind was in a completely different world. But this time, she didn't find Bruce in the living room. He was just… absent. He had been there, holding her when as she fell asleep but had disappeared in the middle of the night, without a trace. Emma fell onto the couch and started weeping silently.

That's how Alfred found her the next morning. Curled up in a little ball, whimpering. She couldn't cry anymore, she had been crying for the last 3 hours and her eyes were so sore and dry that no tears would fall. She tried to pull herself together when she heard him come in but couldn't find the strength. Instead she just buried her face in her knees and went on shaking.

"Mrs. Wayne?" Alfred put a hand on her shoulder but she just shook her head, "How 'bout I call Mr. Wayne hmm? It seems to me as though you two have a lot to discuss." Emma's head shot up. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, Alfred was taken aback by just how desperately sad she looked.

"No." She begged, "Please don't call Bruce. I don't want to talk to him." Alfred nodded solemnly.

"Then why don't I fix you some breakfast?" He asked kindly and she was able to nod gratefully. He left her again and she stumbled to her feet. She went to the washroom where she took a long hot shower, hoping to soothe all the pain and misery away but the scalding water was ineffective. After she was all dried off she returned to her bedroom but stopped in her tracks at the door. There, sleeping peacefully in their bed was her husband. He looked exhausted, totally worn out and covered in bruises and scrapes. She ran over to him and started pounding on his chest and screaming.

"Wake up!" She shouted. She wasn't angry just desperate. She needed to know whom she had married. She needed to know what she had gotten herself into. She needed to know why he was putting her through this. Bruce shot up in bed and out of reflex pushed her backwards forcefully. She almost fell on the floor but managed to regain her balance just in time. He was confused. It was written all over his face and then concern seem to overtake him.

"Emma? What's going on? Is something happening? Are you okay?" He jumped out of bed and ran over to her.

"No!" She yelled back, "I'm not okay! Where were you after I fell asleep? I needed you to be here and you weren't! You're never here and I don't understand why. I love you Bruce, I married you so that I could be with you for the rest of my life. I need to understand. Please, just help me understand!" Bruce was speechless as he looked at his wife. She was frantic.

"Emma, please calm down." He begged her in a low voice, "Take a deep breath and let me talk to you."

"Look at yourself Bruce!" Her breathing was becoming more and more shallow, "I believe that you're not having an affair okay? I believe you, I do. But you're doing something else, something that you won't tell me. Something that leaves you bruised and battered in the morning. You go out at night for hours on end and look like you've just come back from a cage fight." She fell back and looked up at him with wide eyes, "Bruce Wayne disappeared for a long time. The city was corrupted, run by the mob and extremely violent. Bruce Wayne comes back and with him comes the greatest hero Gotham's ever seen, along with tools at his disposal that could only have been funded and built by…" She stopped for a moment, "Wayne Enterprises."

"Emma…" He tried to soothe her.

"You're Batman." She whispered, "You were Batman the day I met you. Maybe I knew somewhere deep down but could never admit it to myself. My husband is the city's savior… my savior." Suddenly her eyes lit up with realization, "That night. I… I called you! That was you!" And with that everything went black.

Emma sat cross-legged on the uncomfortable leather chair. She refused to look up from her hands, which she clasped and unclasped periodically. The man with the round glasses cleared his throat poignantly.

"You're husband tells me that you've been under quite a bit of emotional stress recently Mrs. Wayne." The man said and she did nothing but nod mutely, "He also tells me that you've been through quite the trauma."

"You could say that…" She muttered.

"Mrs. Wayne, these sessions are not going to be of any help to you unless you talk to me."

"I don't need to be here." She stated coldly.

"The people that care about you disagree." The man replied.

"You mean Bruce?" She scoffed and her head shot up to meet the man's prying eyes, "He doesn't always know what's best for me you know?"

"I think in this case he does." The man said and she snorted again, "I know that this might be a little odd at first, and I am also aware of the fact that you don't think that therapy is going to be useful but…"

"I know it won't be useful." She cut him off mid-sentence, "Jonathan Crane was a therapist wasn't he? I mean he must've been around other shrinks all day and you guys couldn't tell that he was a fucking psychopath."

"That is an isolated incident."

"_That_ almost led to genocide."

"Jonathan Crane's has a severe mental disorder, I don't believe that you do Mrs. Wayne. I simply want you to talk to me. Let me help you. Depression is very common, especially at a time of distress like this."  
>"You mean with the Joker blowing up anyone and anything he can in order to prove a point? So that he can <em>kill the Batman<em>. You mean a time where no one in this fucking city is safe from a certifiable lunatic who is hell bent on causing as much destruction as possible in order to get to our shining hero, the only ray of hope Gotham has? You think that maybe, just maybe, that's put people a little on edge?" She laughed cruelly, "Yeah, I think that that you're on to something there doc, something groundbreaking even. Terrorization leads to depression. But _maybe_ if the Joker was in therapy then he would have been able to work out his issues and none of this would have happened right?"

"I don't like that you're mocking me Mrs. Wayne." The man said between clenched teeth.

"That's too bad, because you Freudian types are just such easy targets." She smirked, "Why? Is it bothering you?"

"I think that's enough for today." The man said.

"What so soon?" She said with mock hurt then rolled her eyes and exited the room as quickly as humanly possible. Bruce got up from his waiting room seat down the hall when she walked out.

"How did it go?" He asked. The look of guilt and concern hadn't left his face since she had figured out his secret. She simply glared at him and walked past towards the exit of the building. He followed at her heels and took his hand in his own once he caught up, "We could go see another doctor if you didn't like this one. Maybe you'd take to a woman better?" She didn't respond and he sighed deeply. He stopped in his tracks on the sidewalk in front of his car and forced her to swing back into his arms. He pressed his lips to her forehead, "I am so sorry Emma. I love you so much, more than anything. You know that right? I never wanted to hurt you. I only ever wanted to protect you. But I've failed you my darling and for that I'll never forgive myself." She rested her head momentarily on his chest and let a stray tears fall down her cheek but she quickly brushed it away and pulled away from him.

"I love you too." She said quietly, looking down at her feet. All the sarcasm and attitude from before was gone. She relaxed a little bit in his arms as he held her tightly. Eventually he released her and they got into his car and drove back to his penthouse. Bruce was tapping his hands against the steering wheel.

"You know I can cancel this party tonight, or we could just drive down to the mansion and spend the weekend there instead. It's not as if I'm known for always attending my parties." He smiled weakly at her. Emma just shook her head.

"You promised Harvey he's never have to fundraise again. People won't be so generous if you're not there to dazzle them with a heart warming speech or something."  
>"Nothing's more important to me right now than you."<p>

"Stop it Bruce." She said quickly, "I understand now remember. You're Batman. You have other responsibilities, especially right now, Gotham needs you just as much as I do."

"I don't need Gotham as much as I need you." He replied. Deep circles under Bruce's eyes betrayed his constant worry. The situation with the Joker was leaving him sleepless, that and the knowledge Emma was no longer safe from the truth was taking its toll on him.

"I believe you Bruce." She turned to him and forced a sweet smile on her face for his sake, "I really do. You don't have to worry about me right now. I'm not going anywhere." She assured him, even though she didn't know if what she was saying was true.

**MAE**

**PART I: PAST**

The Joker had made up his mind. It had taken him weeks, but he soon realized that he was no longer in need of Dr. Jonathan Crane's services. The man had crossed the line. He had damaged what was rightfully his. And most importantly, the Joker realized that above anything else, he hated sharing. Crane was exiled from his domain, black listed even and his guards were instructed to shoot to kill if they ever saw him on the premises again. To be sure, the good doctor didn't take the news well but what could he do? He had failed. The Batman foiled his plans and now his fear gas was so passé. He was old news. The Joker didn't want the defeated man or his insane imaginary counterpart touching Mae. _His_ Mae. He had to admit that he had grown rather fond of her in the last few weeks. She was sweet but slightly deranged. Her brother was dead. Her family was broken beyond repair and grew up around corruption and filth that left traces on her soul. She couldn't be saved. But he was glad of that. He didn't want to save her. Just open her eyes a little bit. Make her see a new way of life. He knew she'd like it. He was sure of it.

The old floorboards creaked under his weight as he walked towards the door. He had let her out of the shackles but he wasn't at the point where he could just leave the door unlocked… yet. Mae was sitting by the dusty window staring out into the darkness. Her lips were moving but no sound escaped them. She seemed almost entranced. He cleared his throat and she turned around to meet his eyes.

"Hello darling." He dragged out the words.

"Hello." She replied simply.

"Hey –uh– what are you doing?" He asked as he approached her. Her eyes flickered towards the window again and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Praying." She responded quietly. He snorted with laughter but she didn't seem fazed at all. She had been expecting that response.

"You believe in god do you?" He laughed, "Even after everything you've been through. Even though you live in the center of all corruption, in hell on earth, Gotham fucking city." She ignored his last comment about her home as she explained.

"I don't think there's a man in a white robe sitting on the clouds but I'd like to believe that there's something else out there, something beyond all this." She smiled faintly. The Joker frowned deeply.

"And what are you praying for? An escape? 'Cause baby doll it really would take divine intervention to get you out of here."

"No." She said quickly, "I'm praying for my mother." She responded, "She deserves to be prayed for. She deserves peace. I wish I could give that to her but obviously I'll never be able to, as you so blatantly pointed out."

"When did you get so sickly sweet baby?" He asked with a smirk.

"I'm not." She got up of the windowsill. The somewhat wistful look in her eyes was gone now, "Where were you today?" She asked.

"What's it to yoooouuuu?"

"Nothing just curious." She answered and sighed, "So you expose the dark side of each of us, you bring Gotham's to its knees without even having to lift a finger. What's next? What's the master plan?" She asked with one eyebrow raised. Joker started laughing in his distinct way.

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" He was really close to her now. She could feel his hot breath on her face. Over the last few weeks she had become increasingly comfortable with the man. It was partly due to the fact that somewhere under that makeup or war paint or whatever you wanted to call it… She could actually see a man. A man who had ideals and who had experienced pain, just like she had. She wasn't sure what happened to him, what happened to his face, since his story changed every time he told it. But she knew it must have been something awful, something that distorted his mind.

"No." She admitted quietly. She suddenly reached up boldly and put a hand to his lips. She hesitantly started wiping away the vicious red face paint that covered his mouth and the jagged scars that protruded from it. She was surprised when he didn't stop her but after a moment she exposed his slightly pink natural lips, "I used to think you were hiding behind the makeup, but I don't think that's true anymore…" The Joker looked at her curiously.

"You know doll, I've been doing some digging." He said as he moved away from the girl and walked into the adjoining bathroom. A few days ago he had moved them out of the warehouse and into an abandoned mansion of some sort, which he used as his new hideout, "Now, don't be mad but you have… a very, well how do I put it, _interesting_ file. How many times were you admitted to the hospital again?" He turned on the tap and let the water soak his calloused hands, "7 times when you were between the ages of 13 to 16. You came in with a lot of bad wounds. Some doctors even described it as being beaten to a pulp. But _nobody_ asked why." Mae shivered involuntarily, "No, no one asked what happened. And why is that? Hmm? Oh that's right because your daddy wasn't someone they like to –uh– _accuse_ of bad things like that. No, no, he's not that kind of guy. He couldn't possibly have beaten his little girl to the point of death. Hmm? Nah, he's a –what do you call it?–"

"A war hero." Emma whispered.

"Right that's it. He saved a hell of a lot of the good ol' boys in 'Nam eh?"

"Yeah."

"He got a big shiny metal from the mayor of Gotham himself. He's one of the good guys!" The Joker exclaimed with a booming laugh. He cupped some water in his hands and started to rinse the paint off his face, "But he wasn't such a good guy was he darling? That's why you killed him. That's why you shot him in cold blood. You weren't scared from the gas, look, I understand it all now. No, you didn't go crazy. You're already crazy." The Joker turned around and for the first time she saw him without the makeup. She was stunned. He was handsome even with the scars that marred his face. Her eyes only flickered away from his face when she saw the familiar bottle of pills in his hands, "I know what's going to happen if you stay off of these the way you have. It's all right in your file. _Manic depressant_. History of mild schizophrenia. You see daddy don't ya? Even though you know he's dead. That you put him in the ground."

"He deserved it." She hissed venomously, "Don't you see what he did to me?"

"Very –uh– clearly baby doll. He had it coming." He said with an eerie grin. Mae shifted uneasily, she had been feeling more and more antsy since she had been off of her medication. She was lucky she hadn't started seeing or hearing things. Sure her now uncontrolled mood had dropped dramatically but that was to be expected… she had been kidnapped after all.

"Are you going to give me my medication back?" She asked tentatively. The Joker laughed again as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life. He shook his head as his body was shaking with hysterics.

"No, no, no, no. What fun would that be? Hmmm? I brought you here to _break_ you, just like I'm going to break this city. Medication changes you. It changes who you are. I want to know you my darling, I want to see you for what you really are. _Damaged_. Just. Like. Me."

**PART II: PRESENT**

She knew he didn't love her but she didn't care. In fact she reveled in it. She didn't need or want his love or affection. She didn't care about much of anything anymore, except her life. The villains of Gotham were united now, all under him. Well… all except for _him_. But she didn't care to dwell on that anymore. No, she was a new person now. Stronger, bitter and out for blood. Really all she strived to do was survive though, no matter how much she had to degrade herself to do so. She wasn't stupid and she wasn't weak. She just knew when to show her strength and when to get down on her knees and submit.

Bane was lounging on a comfortable plush sofa that adorned one of the wealthiest apartments she had ever seen. It belonged to some rich family, pictures of them were strewn about, but now it was his, like everything else in the city. He seemed to be deep in thought so she didn't want to disturb him. She was hungry though and the new living supplies had come to the city today. She could see fresh food in the kitchen, a sight that she had missed very dearly and could only reach it by passing him. Mae slipped off her high heels and tiptoed across the threshold to the kitchen.

"Stop." The strange and menacing mechanical voice said suddenly, "Where do you think your going?" He asked, his eyes opening slowly to look at her. Her gaze flickered towards the kitchen and then returned to him.

"I'm hungry." She said quietly.

"Shouldn't you ask before you simply take?"

"I didn't want to bother you." She defended quietly, "You looked occupied." If he smiled she wouldn't know it. She could never tell what he was feeling. His eyes, the only windows to any emotions he might have, were a complete mystery to her.

"Come." He said simply and she obliged. She sat nervously near his feet on the edge of the couch, "Don't be shy. Kneel before me." Again, she complied instantly with his wishes. He cupped her cheek with his hand, "Such a pretty girl but so scarred." His thumb traced the raised skin on her cheek, "Usually a wound like that would ruin a girl's pretty face but not you. No, I think it suits you rather well."

"Thank you." She whispered and he signaled with his fingers for her to come closer still. She knew what he wanted and without hesitation she pressed her lips to the cold metal of the mask. She then moved her lips to his neck and trailed kisses down to his chest. He stopped her there and pulled her face up to meet his.

"Go eat my little manic, before I get carried away. I have better things to think about then you." She swiftly got to her feet and exited the living room to take refuge in the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the crisp red apple waiting for her on the counter. She sunk her teeth into it and relaxed back against the counter, momentarily satisfied. She then walked over to the window and leaned out to see the city bellow. If she had thought that the city under Crane's control was scary, it was nothing compared to now. The streets reeked of desolation and hopelessness. He had destroyed Gotham, a city that she used to love, but now she couldn't even shed a tear over its lost. Batman was gone. Bane had taken care of him. She didn't know any details. The city was without hope and without redemption. She turned away from the open window and threw the core of the apple in the trash before returning to the living room. Bane didn't seem to be contemplating much anymore. On the contrary he was waiting for her to return to the room with open arms. She looked at him and forced a smile onto her face and she crawled up to him on the sofa and rested her head on his hard chest, allowing him to entangle his rough hands into her hair, "This is the beginning of the end."

"It doesn't have to be." She tried to reason. To her, his fidelity towards the woman he loved had gone too far, he was sacrificing too much. Bane glanced down at her and registered her fear. She was practically shaking in his arms, "We don't have to stay here. We can leave before it happens. Gotham will still burn, we'll just be alive to watch it."

"Do not speak of things you don't understand." He said coldly. Mae swallowed nervously as she rethought what she was about to ask. It needed to be asked though, whether or not she got bruised for questioning him.

"You're going to let me… escape though, right?" She asked hesitantly, "When the bomb goes off, you wouldn't let me die here, would you?" There was a long moment of silence in which Mae waited for an answer with baited breath.

"Is it fair for me to allow you to survive while the people of Gotham suffer and fall with their city. Gotham must be destroyed and everyone who caused it to be this corrupt with it." Bane spoke as if he was presenting a speech to his subjects. She looked up at him and bit her lip.

"I don't want to die." She said tearfully, "After everything I've gone through, everything I had to withstand in order to survive, I don't want to die like this." Her voice trembled as she spoke. Her eyes were pleading with Bane's, begging for him to say the words that she so desperately wanted to hear. _You'll be safe. I won't let you burn._ But nothing of that sort came out of his mouth.

"I'll consider it."

"No you won't!" Mae shot up off the couch to stand in front of him. She knew she was acting ridiculously careless at the moment and if she even wanted to live to see the bomb she had better stop talking but she couldn't, "It will be just like that pit you keep talking about. There isn't true despair without hope. I don't want you to give me false hope only to pull it all from under me in the end." She ripped herself away from him, "Oh god, I don't want to die. Please, I don't want it all to end like this." Bane stood up and kicked her aside as he stormed out of the apartment. Mae couldn't care less she was deep in her misery. _Why did you abandon me like this, you said you'd never leave me. You said you'd protect me._ Mae took a deep gasping breath and walked over to the bedroom, collapsing on the bed. _4 and a half more months to live_, she thought hopelessly. _Then the darkness will come. Then I'll finally be able to rest._

Mae woke up the next morning to find Bane sleeping soundly beside her. He was still dressed in the same clothes as he wore the day before. She wiggled from beneath the covers but felt a tight grip wrapped around her wrist just as she was about to exit the bed. She stopped what she was doing but didn't say anything. He pulled her body close to his and she felt the straps of his mask rub against her forehead. She grit her teeth and remained in his arms knowing that he was dozing back off to sleep but as soon as she moved he would wake up again. He always slept with one eye open, it was just in his nature. However she didn't have to worry about staying there very long because soon the door of the room was ripped open and banged against the adjoining wall. Bane shot up with a jolt, incidentally bringing Mae with him. In the door frame stood none other then Talia who was standing there in her full imposing glory with one hip jutted out and a eerie grin on her face. Mae's blood went cold.

"Well isn't this just adorable." She pronounced slowly in her smooth accent. Mae was roughly pushed to the side and fell off the bed with a thump and a yelp, "Well you always were one to ruin the moment weren't you my friend?" Talia sniggered. Mae clenched her jaw tightly as she tried to get up and out of the room as quickly as possible. Just as she was about to pass, Talia put her hand on the other side of the door and blocked her escape. She knew how dangerous this woman was, if Talia wanted her dead, Bane wouldn't hesitate to snap her neck. But usually when she saw the woman she just couldn't care less. Despite her survival instincts she refused to keep her head down when being so blatantly provoked.

"Excuse me." Mae mumbled.

"What was that?" Talia shot back. Mae looked up and gave the older woman a sharp look.

"I said, please move." She replied as calmly as possible. Talia smirked but did not move the arm. Mae rolled her eyes, _it's too early in the morning for her shit_, and pushed through the outstretched arm. _Fucking bitch_, Mae thought to herself and for the second time that morning someone grabbed on to her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Talia snarled.

"You know people keep asking me that question as if it's possible for me to go further than the apartment building without getting shot." She spat back.

"Mae…" Bane warned from behind her in his usual daunting voice, "Go be a good girl and fix me some breakfast." Mae refused to even dignify that request with a response so she ignored him and went into the apartment washroom located on the other side of the hall and slammed the door forcefully behind her. After quickly shedding her nightgown and bringing the water to a scalding temperature, she stepped into the small shower and let the water and steam consume her. She hoped that it would calm her down, allow her to breathe in peace for a few moments. She relaxed and let her muscles be soothed before reaching for the shampoo and conditioner to wash her hair. Midway through rinsing all the suds out of her tangled locks she heard the door open and close. At first she was afraid that it was Bane, but then she thought of the alternative and realized she'd much prefer him. She didn't have to wait in suspense for too long because shortly afterwards the shower curtain was pulled open to reveal a clearly irritated Bane. Mae frowned at him and covered her breasts by crossing her arms over her chest, "You're playing with fire little one."

"That wasn't my intention." She quipped, he grasped her by the shoulder and squeezed tightly.

"Don't talk to Talia like that ever again. Do you understand me? And don't you dare disrespect me!" He growled. She bit her lip and just shook her head slowly, looking away from him.

"You expect me to act as if I enjoy being in the presence of the woman who is going to kill me? Who masterminded the destruction of the city where I grew up? The city where my family lives? Where my whole life is? I won't. I'd rather you tortured me until I came to a slow painful end than submit to that woman." Mae spoke slowly but fiercely and she thought she saw something flash in Bane's eyes. _Respect? No, that's wishful thinking._ But to her surprise he had nothing to say in rebuttal. He simply nodded his head once and left the room. There was no traces of anger left in his eyes and it left Mae speechless._ Maybe he understands._

She pulled the towel around herself and brushed through the mess of wet hair before leaving the warm and steamy washroom. She got dressed in the empty bedroom and then wandered to the kitchen where she found Bane. He was injecting something into his arm but she didn't ask what it was.

"I'll be gone for the day. Perhaps the night as well. There is much business to attend to." He said without glancing over at her.

"I suppose oppressing the people of Gotham never does get tiresome." She replied and he growled at her, "It was a joke, relax." She sniggered and started to make herself a cup of coffee.

"You're not funny."

"Something we have in common then." She walked over to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. She was in a considerably better mood ever since she got out of the shower. He didn't seem amused though, "Don't be mad darling, just trying to lighten the mood."

"Do not call me darling, darling." He shot back and she laughed. She put her hands on his shoulders and massaged them sensually.

"Sir then." She whispered huskily in his ear.

"You're asking for it."

"I really am." She nipped her teeth against his neck as she spoke. Bane swung around and gripped her around the waist. He pushed her into the opposing counter making her gasp. A slow smile spread across her lips as she was lifted onto the counter and wrapped her legs firmly around his hips.

"You make me so…"

"Horny?" She cut in with a smile.

"Angry." He clarified as he rammed her head against the cupboard. She groaned and felt a little dizzy. Before she knew what was happening her dress was being lifted above her hips and her panties were being ripped off of her. Her arms wrapped around his neck securely, her fingers gripping on to the back of his mask, "I have to go so let's make this quick." He growled into her ear. Bane liked making her look at him head on when they were fucking. The mask frightened her and the look of fear in her eyes made him feel even more powerful. She buried her head into the nook of his neck as he thrust into her, the vibration of her moan sent shivers down his spine and encouraged him to move faster, harder. Her nails scraped desperately against the straps of his mask since she had no hair to hold onto. He kept his pace fast and rough and could feel her getting close. As she was about to cum he wrenched her face away from his neck and forced her to look him directly in the eyes. She couldn't help herself and she pressed anguished kissed on his "metal lips" before screaming out him name and letting her head lull back against the cupboard. He came shortly afterwards with a few extra thrusts and a grunt. Then he quickly pulled off of her and cleaned himself up. Through droopy eyelids she could see the bright pink stains from her lipstick stuck to his mask and she smiled lazily.

"Come here." She giggled, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back between his legs. He looked extremely irritated as she wiped off the lipstick marks, polishing the metal in the process. She inclined her head to the side and mumbled, "Have fun at work." His eyes wrinkled and for once she knew he was smiling. He put his hand on her cheek as a gesture of affection before turning and disappearing out the apartment door. She sighed and pushed herself off the counter. _How did I end up here?_


	5. That Girl You Found

**EMMA & MAE**

**PART I: The Fundraiser**

She couldn't really hear anything past the sound of the helicopter. Bruce was clutching her hand as he sat beside her and was looking out the window. He was used to things like this where she certainly was not. She didn't understand why he always had to make such a spectacle of himself. Emma was dressed in a black strapless floor length gown for the sole purpose of not drawing in very many eyes. She had left all her exquisite, exotic dresses that Bruce bought her and were meant for parties such as these, at home. She was just hoping to get through tonight without having to engage in too much shallow and mindless conversation about politics, or... god forbid... the Batman. The helicopter landed on the roof of the building, as all the guests were watching through the glass windows of the their penthouse. Bruce had insisted on moving back into Wayne Manor for the time being on the basis that the city was no longer a safe place to live. He was right, naturally, and she had to admit that she was a little sad that they hadn't always lived in the beautiful old house. It held so many precious memories, both good and bad, for Bruce and it in some ways connected her to the parents in law that she would never know. He squeezed her hand and opened the helicopter door for her.

"Ready?" He asked. She looked at the group of clapping socialites that were surrounding the window and swallowed uneasily.

"Why do you always have to make such a dramatic entrance?" She shot back incredulously. Bruce just shrugged his shoulders and winked at her flirtatiously. She just rolled her eyes and exited the safety of the helicopter. Her heels clinked on the concrete and Bruce put his arms around her waist as if to ensure that she wouldn't trip. Emma wasn't the most graceful of people and she hadn't even attempted wearing high heels before she met Bruce. They walked into the penthouse and were immediately surrounded by men in tuxedos and women in glittering gowns, all of whom were greeting them exuberantly. Emma forced a pleasant smile on her face as she began to shake hands and welcome everyone. As per usual she had to apologize for being late without really giving any specifics as to why they were so tardy to their own party. What was she supposed to say? _Bruce just really hates coming to these things. The one joy he gets out of it is making a big impression when he arrives._

"Mrs. Wayne." She turned her head to meet the piercing blue eyes of Harvey Dent who was smiling at her rather smugly. Emma looked around but didn't see Rachel anywhere.

"Please, just call me Emma." She told him with a small smile.

"Right, then I'll expect you to call me Harvey." He replied and she nodded in agreement. She looked around the extravagant room taking in all the people again.

"Looks like you attracted a full house."

"They may be raising money for me but I think your husband is the main attraction." They both turned to look at Bruce who was still laughing and mingling in his normal charming manor, with a large group of people. She was always amazed by how naturally he fit in with these people when she knew that he was so completely different from all of them.

"Well, what can you do? Bruce Wayne always attracts a crowd." She frowned slightly as she spoke. Harvey noticed this and quickly changed the subject.

"You look absolutely lovely tonight by the way." He complimented her. She was lovely. She had her hair pinned up in a pun with one curled piece left out, framing her face. Her dress was modest but it complimented her curves and her eyes... no one who met her could ever forget her eyes. They were so big and innocent looking, but there was something deeper to them that made you want to stare into them for hours. Emma shifted uncomfortably under Harvey's gaze.

"Well you look rather dashing too Harvey." She cleared her throat, "Where's Rachel by the way?" Harvey looked around the room at her question and gave her a rather confused look.

"Actually I don't..." Just then he was interrupted. Bruce was loudly tapping on his Champaign glass, ending all conversation around them turning the room silent. Simultaneously, Rachel Dawes joined Harvey and Emma just in time to listen to Bruce's speech. At first Emma thought that he was making fun of Harvey, poking fun at his old campaign posters, but she saw the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke. She knew that he meant what he said, that he wanted Harvey to help clean up the city, to be the shining white knight that Gotham desperately needed. _Someone who doesn't need to wear a mask to help people_, she thought with a smile. She raised her glass to Harvey Dent along with everyone else in the room, winking at him as she did so. Once Bruce was done his speech she saw him disappear out onto the balcony and she moved foreword to join him before she was intercepted by some one of her party guests, Angela Styles who wanted to discuss putting her on the cover of the next issue of Gotham Style Magazine.

"Oh darling it would be wonderful, you really are an icon in Gotham. The working class girl who married the playboy billionaire, it's like something out of a fairytale. That's the theme you see. We would do a whole spread..." Emma nodded as enthusiastically as she could as the woman droned on. Completely losing sight of her husband.

After she was finally able to detach herself from the bothersome magazine editor after assuring her that she would be more than happy to do the photo-shoot and interview, she made her way towards the balcony. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harvey Dent talking to an old man who seemed to be very keen on sharing his opinion about something. She smiled, just imagining how cornered Harvey must be feeling when she reached the glass door that opened up to the balcony. The door was opened and she looked up to see Rachel and Bruce staring at each other, leaning against the banister. She was about the step forward to greet them when she stopped in her tracks. Out of nowhere Rachel suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips to Bruce's. Her grip loosened on the Champaign glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the hardwood floor. Both Bruce and Rachel turned around to meet her wide eyes. Bruce's heart broke as he saw his wife standing there awkwardly. Her mouth hung slightly agape almost as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

"Mrs. Wayne, are you alright?" Emma turned to see Alfred standing right behind her, "You didn't cut yourself did you?" He looked down at her feet, indicating for the waiters to come and pick up the broken pieces of glass. Tears welled up in Emma's eyes as she looked at Alfred and she tried desperately to swallow them down.

"Emma..." Bruce called softly, "You know I didn't mean it. I would never do that to you." But Emma wasn't listening; she couldn't even look at him. She was just frantically trying not to humiliate herself in front of all these people who already looked down on her. And she was failing miserably.

"Mrs. Wayne?" Alfred asked again. He didn't understand what had happened and shot Bruce a confused look as he tried to comfort the shaking girl.

"Don't call me that." She whispered sadly, "Please." Bruce finally came to his senses and ran over to her.

"Emma." He said firmly, "It didn't mean anything, if anything it a goodbye kiss. We've both moved on... I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you. I love you. You know that." There was a long moment of silence before she finally spoke.

"You're a liar Bruce." She said quietly, "You've been lying to me this whole time. Ever since I met you. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so lost. I'm just realizing now that I don't know the man that I married. I used to feel so safe with you and now..."

"Emma..." Bruce stared at her desperately with searching eyes, "Please don't do this. I'll go away with you, right now, we'll go wherever you want in the world and we never to come back if you don't want to." But Emma just shook her head.

"Maybe we should talk about this later." She said delicately.

"Don't. Don't push this off. Emma we're going to work this out. Right now." He begged.

"Bruce..." She hesitated, "I want to go home now. And I don't want you to come with me. Not right now. Not tonight. Please. Just let me think."

"I'm not going to let you go Emma!" He shouted. Suddenly the guests' attention was drawn the couple and they whispered amongst themselves. Bruce lowered his voice, "I'm not going to let you walk out of here only to come home to an empty house with nothing but a note to prove that you ever even lived there."

"I wouldn't do that to you." She tried to push back tears; "I just want one night to myself to figure out if I can ever forgive you for this."

"Me and Rachel aren't…"

"I don't care about you and Rachel. I care about the fact that a year ago you told me that she was your friend and never had been and never would be anything more than that. And now you're telling me that you _moved on_. According to you there was nothing to move on from. I care about the fact that you kept a secret alter ego from me, which took away the opportunity for me to choose if I really wanted to marry the Batman." She laughed humorlessly, "And I would have married him Bruce, both of you, if you trusted me with that choice. But no, you decided to trap me. And just when we were doing better, when I thought that maybe you really did only think of my wellbeing and my safety when you chose to keep that secret I see this. I see this and I know that she knows!" Bruce's eyes went cold.

"That she knows?"

"Who you are." Emma whispered, "She knows that you're the Batman, she's known it the whole time, "She knew it when we were in the restaurant that night and I was just putting the pieces together in my mind. You told her but not me… Not the woman that you married."

"It's complicated Emma." Bruce sighed. He looked defeated. Tired, "Are you going to leave me? Will this be the last time I see you? Because if it is I'd like to know now."

"No Bruce, I'm not leaving you." She answered, "Not now. Not like this." Then she turned on her heels and headed for the elevator. But she never quite made it.

_"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We are tonight's entertainment!" _

Mae tried not to think about the fact that the ridiculous strappy stilettos were giving her blisters. Nor did she think about the fact that if she made one wrong move tonight she would most likely get shot between the eyes. She had recognized the hotel where Bruce Wayne owned a penthouse, she had seen it on the news or in the tabloids a lot but she had never actually been there in real life. It represented all the wealth and luxury that she never had and probably never would have. They all tried to make her believe that it was possible. That she could meet and marry the rich handsome prince of her dreams and live the good life for the rest of her days without having to lift a finger. Even when she was a little girl that seemed like a great work of fiction. But now… now they had so much to work with. They had a real life example, right here in Gotham city. Emma Wayne, a waitress at the restaurant that he owned, married Bruce Wayne (aka the billionaire, the playboy, the Prince of Gotham) and rumor had it that they were going to live happily ever after. She had been poor, just like Mae, but now she was practically a Princess. Mae had seen the girl on magazine and newspaper covers and even on the news. When the two had first gotten married everyone had tried to get an interview with the new Mrs. Wayne. And if she didn't grant them one then they speculated about all kinds of silly things like whether she had signed a prenuptial or whether she was pregnant or not. It made Mae sick. But she wasn't Emma Wayne, she had been found by a different kind of Prince. The Crime Prince, he was the man who strived on causing panic and chaos and the man who they all called insane. The Joker shook her out of her thoughts as he pressed the elevator button for the top floor. Her back was pressed up against his chest and one arm was snaked around her waist, while the other held a gun in the air. "You look mighty sexy, baby doll." He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Be a good girl and I won't have to get blood all over that pretty dress." The dress he was referring to was tight and a deep shade purple. It was low cut and revealed the tops of a black lace bra. On top of that it was short, much shorter than she was used to and her patterned black tights only went up to her mid thigh. They were then they were attached to her panties by straps, which the Joker enjoy pulling back and letting got so that the elastic-like material slapped her thigh and left little red marks. Her hair was done into two high pigtails held together by black bows to complete the _fuck me_ look. She felt the way the henchmen were looking at her and it made her skin crawl, "Remember the rules, you call for help, and I'll –uh– kill you." Mae just nodded her head in understanding, "Good girl." The Joker said just as the elevator doors leading to the penthouse opened. 

Emma was frozen to the spot. Her eyes were still watering but she was in too much shock to cry yet. The Joker was standing right in front of her. Bruce tried to stay calm. He immediately hid Harvey, knowing that the criminal was looking for the district attorney first and foremost, but he was rushed and the only thought that was going through his mind was _Emma_. He realized that he didn't have time to change into his Batman suit. He just had to protect her like a normal husband would protect his wife. Emma was looking around frantically searching for Bruce or anyone in the crowd. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"I only have one question, where is Harvey Dent?" The Joker spoke. Emma noticed a girl on his right. She was dressed like a hooker, an expensive and well-kept one though. But what she noticed immediately was that the girl did not hold herself with the confidence of a criminal, she was terrified of the clown, just like everyone else in the room. Mae turned to see a woman staring at her, someone that she recognized, Emma Wayne. The idealized wife of the billionaire look horrified by what was happening around her but Mae saw something else in her eyes, sympathy. Mae turned her head away quickly but she was too late, the Joker had seen who she had met eyes with, "How about you hmm?" The Joker walked over to Emma, whose breath caught in her throat as soon as she saw him move towards her, "Baby doll, you obviously recognize her, tell me who she _is_."

"Emma Wayne." Mae replied without hesitation, it was basic instinct. She wanted to stay alive and no matter how much she felt for the poor girl, she would risk put herself into harms way for a stranger.

"Ah!" The Joker grabbed Emma by the wrist and pulled her closer to him. His gloved hand firmly held her cheek and she felt a knife graze across her skin, "Bruce Wayne's one and only eh?" The Joker laughed, "Yeah, I've heard about you. I think everyone's heard about you. You're the girl whore's tell their bastard daughters about at night. Be a good girl and maybe you'll end up like Mrs. Wayne." Tears streamed down Emma's cheeks, "So you _got to know_. It's your party _isn't_ it? Where is Dent? I need to talk to him about something, just something little."

"Let her go." Bruce growled as he stepped out of the crowd threateningly.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast pretty boy." The Joker cackled.

"She doesn't know where Harvey and neither do I, so let her go." He said calmly and firmly. The Joker rolled his eyes.

"You know what, I'll settle for loved ones." Without realizing it, Emma looked over at Rachel who was standing only a few feet away from her. The Joker smiled eerily as he looked in the same direction as Emma, "Say a name Brucey-boy and I'll let her go. I think it's time to prove to _everyone_ just how much you really care about this little beauty." There was a moment of total silence before Bruce spoke.

"Rachel." Bruce said brokenly, "Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to be forgiven Bruce." Rachel answered and stepped foreword gracefully. Even Emma had to admire the woman in that moment, though her heart still felt the sting of betrayal, hatred and resentment. The Joker pushed Emma to the ground and Bruce quickly helped her up. He looked at her for a moment, not quite knowing what to do.

"Go Bruce." Emma whispered urgently, "You have to save her." Emma's eyes flickered over to Rachel who was being held by the Joker in a similar manner as she had been moments ago, "I'll never forgive myself if she…" She stopped herself midsentence and looked into her husband's eyes, "Go."

**Please review. Each review means so much to me.**

**XOXO**

**Summer Jane**


	6. Keeps That Kind Of Window

**PRESENT**

**MAE**

The echoes of her footsteps reverberated around the sewer walls as she walked towards the complex that Bane was using as his control center of sorts. She could already hear shouting and laughing from the men who guarded the hideout. She grimaced as she looked down at the package in her hands. She had always felt so bad for his minions. Most of them were so loyal and followed him blindly. They truly believed in what he was saying. They would do anything for his cause even if that meant their death.

"Mae!" One of the men called. He was a big guy and was carrying a rather large gun but she wasn't afraid of him, or any of them for that matter. Bane had already warned them that if anyone touched her or even looked at her wrong he would break their bones one by one until there was nothing left to do but leave them to die. That scared them pretty effectively.

"Hi." She greeted them as she walked past. But one of them blocked her way.

"Sorry." He said, "But we still got to check the box." She wondered if maybe Bane still didn't trust her. There was a time when he was paranoid that she was going to try and kill him in his sleep. She scoffed at the image of trying to bring a knife or a gun to bed… she didn't have a death wish.

"No problem." She opened the box to reveal two bottles of water, one of oil and some soft cloths. The guard scrutinized her, "He's expecting me." She told him, "And I don't really want to be late…" He voice trailed off but he got the implication and let her pass. She walked swiftly towards the office like little room on one of the upper levels of the complex. He was sitting in his chair, his eyes locked on one of the monitors, "Bane?" He swiveled around in his chair.

"Good, you're here." There was a small bed in the corner with curtains around it that blocked it off from prying eyes. He motioned for her to sit on the bed as he closed the curtains and then he joined her, "Let's make this quick shall we." This was not the first time that Mae had been asked to do this particular task and it was definitely not something she enjoyed doing.

"Does it really hurt that badly?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes." He answered sternly.

"Okay." She breathed deeply and reached for the valves of his mask that released it. He flinched immediately as she started turning them slowly. He let out a low growl and she knew that it was time to pull the mask off. She was always surprised when she saw his face. She was taken aback by how beautiful he was. How delicate his lips were. She poured water on the cloths and gently wiped the newly exposed flesh. He was deeply scared, just like her, "We match." She smiled kindly and he looked up to meet her eyes. He ran a hand over the scars on her face as she tended to his. Once she was done she picked up the metal mask and used the oil to lubricate the mechanism. She did this part as quickly as possible, not wanting to prolong Bane's pain. She was about to reattach the mask to his face but he stopped her. Out of nowhere he leaned foreword and pressed his lips to hers. She responded immediately and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She moaned against his lips and eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck. But it quickly became too much for Bane and he pulled back. He grabbed the mask and swiftly reconnected it to his face. Mae was a little dazed considering technically that was their first kiss. Bane turned expressionless once again as soon as his mask was on but Mae just smiled up at him shyly.

"Don't get too used to that." He said. She shook her head but the smile wouldn't leave her face. Bane rolled his eyes at the silly girl in front of him and stood up, pulled the curtain back and sat back down at his desk. Mae packed up the stuff that she had brought and set them on the floor of the office before she approached him.

"Are you coming home soon?" She asked.

"I have work to do Mae." He answered coldly. She pressed her lips to the side of his head and got down on her knees next to his chair. She then began to stroke his arm playfully.

"Can I wait for you?" She asked hopefully. She had just seen a gentle, more human side of Bane and she hoping that it didn't disappear along with the majority of his face.

"No, you'll just be a distraction."

"Fine." She sounded hurt and he turned to her finally, his eyes boring into hers.

"Mae darling, you know I would love to ravish you right now but I have other things to do. This is a crucial time for us, for Talia and for everything we've worked so hard to achieve." He spoke to her as if she should understand.

"Don't say _us_ Bane." She replied in a solemn voice, "You make it sound as if this is what I wanted. And you know it's not." With that Mae turned on her heels and left the complex.

The streets stank of desperation, or as Bane called it, equality. She stuck her hands in her pockets and kept her head down just like everyone else who was brave enough to leave their houses. The sun was still high in sky and she was thankful for the protection that came with the light. Even the once luxurious downtown Gotham was in shambles. Almost every store she passed had its windows shattered or boarded up. Looters had gutted the place looking for food or money. Not that money really did anyone much good anymore. She reached the end of the street and came face to face with a large familiar building. The courthouse. She heard screaming coming from the inside and knew that the "court" was in session. She walked up the stairs in a hurry and entered the building. In the main room she found a crowd of people gathered around the main event. There was Dr. Crane, sitting up high on his judge's podium. Then down below him was a single chair where a woman, dressed in a tattered fur coat sobbed. She pushed through the people and looked up at Crane with utter disgust. How her hatred of the man had grown since she had met him all those years ago. The woman was hauled away after being sentenced into exile, which was the exact same thing as being sentenced to death. And after her a little girl was forced onto the chair. The girl couldn't be more than six years old and Mae looked around her horrified.

"And now for the daughter… Madison Marston, exile or death?" Crane pronounced in the way you would usually talk to a child. Mae ran foreword quickly, this must be a joke, they couldn't actually be thinking of doing this to a little girl. She was an innocent.

"What are you doing?" Mae exclaimed, "What is wrong with you? She's just a little girl!"

"Ah Mae, how _lovely_ of you to join us!" Crane exclaimed with a laugh, "Ladies and Gentlemen may I present to your liberator's lover!" Mae just glared at him furiously, "This little girl as you put it represents the wealth that majority of the people of Gotham were so wrongfully denied. She represents the spoiled youth, the youth that would pass a dying homeless man on the streets without even a glance. The brats, raised in excessive luxury that will grow up to be just like their parents." Crane spat and the court shouted in concession. Mae looked around herself in horror.

"Are you all mad?" She screamed, "What has happened to you? How could you be so cruel? She's just a child she doesn't know any better and you want to sentence her to death?" Silence emanated through the courtroom, "Don't do this Crane."

"It's not your decision Mae." He replied with an indifferent shrug, "Will any of the good people of Gotham stand up for the young girl's life, remember that if she is still thought guilty your fate will be the same as hers." Mae looked around hoping that some brave compassionate soul would step foreword but of course none did. The goodness was gone from the city. Only the selfish and the scared remained.

"I'm defending her." Mae spoke.

"You don't count my darling." Crane answered, "You are untouchable remember?" Mae suddenly knew what she had to do and approached the podium slowly. She stood right beneath it and stared up at Crane.

"If you don't let this little girl go I'm going to run home and tell Bane all about how you kidnapped and _raped_ me when I was only 17 years old." She paused for effect, "Then we'll see which option you choose _Jonathan_, death or exile?" Crane continued to stare her down for a moment, the cold unstable fury clear in his blue eyes.

"You've changed." He mumbled to himself, "The clown _changed_ you. Just like he said he would" Mae flinched at the mention of the Joker but refused to allow her mind to go there. He was locked away deep inside of her and she wouldn't let his memory free, not now, not ever. She backed away from the podium as Crane addressed the crowd, "The girl is innocent. She is free to go." Mae ran over the poor thing shivering uncontrollably on the chair and helped her up. The girl was hesitant at first but Mae lifted her up into her arms and smiled at her in the most convincing way she could manage.

"You're safe now okay? I'm Mae and I'm going to take you away from here. Everything's going to be okay now." The people around quickly divided to make a path for Mae as she carried Madison out of the courtroom.

"Is mommy coming too?" The little girl asked and the question almost brought Mae to tears but she tried to be strong.

"No, I'm so sorry, I can only bring you." She hugged the little girl as she said this and set her down on the ground tiredly, "Now take my hand okay? I'm going to take you home and get you some food and a bath and then you'll be able to sleep." The little girl obliged and put her little hand into Mae's.

About an hour later Mae was sitting next to Madison as she devoured the hot chicken noodle soup that she had been given. Mae didn't really know what the little girl would like but realized now that she had been starving and would have eaten anything. Mae got up and went to the kitchen to get some bread and butter as well as some more water to offer the girl.

"T-thank you." Madison squeaked. It was one of the first things she had said since she had brought her to the apartment. Mae could see her little eyes drooping and knew that the girl was exhausted.

"How about we skip the bath and go straight to bed?" Mae asked and the girl nodded thankfully. Mae brought her to the one guest bedroom that they had and pulled back the covers for her to get under. After tucking her in she went to turn off the light.

"I don't like the dark." Madison said a little fearfully.

"How about I leave the door open and I'll keep the light in the hall on?" Mae asked and the little girl closed her eyes in agreement, "Goodnight." Mae whispered and tiptoed out of the room only to come face to face with an angry Bane. Until that moment she had forgotten all about him and how he would react to the little girl sleeping in their guest room. Now she saw that he wasn't reacting well, "Don't be angry." She whispered. He gripped her by the arm tightly and pulled her into their bedroom. He closed the door and pushed her down on their bed.

"Crane told me what you did." He said coldly.

"Did he really?" She laughed disbelievingly.

"He said you threatened him, forced him to let a prisoner go."

"He was going to kill her!" Mae exclaimed, "She's so young, she's just a little girl, she hasn't done anything!"

"Than might be so but you do not have the right to interfere with my affairs."

"Did Jonathan tell you what I threatened him with? Did he Bane? What could I possibly have said to force him into doing anything? Obviously it wasn't physical force!"

"He said that you threatened to use my trust in you against me and make up something in order to make me angry enough to kill him before he got the chance to explain." Bane answered.

"I know you better than that." Mae sniffled a little, "I know that you're more methodical than that. If someone really made you angry you wouldn't settle for killing that person quickly like you do your henchmen. You'd make them suffer. Suffer to the point that they wish for death." Bane stayed quiet, watching her carefully through narrowed eyes, "That's why when I saved that girl I didn't want to make you angry, I just couldn't let her die like that. It was too cruel. Too unnecessarily cruel."

"What did you threaten Crane with?" He asked briskly. Ignoring her sentiment. Mae sat down on the bed as she shook her head slowly, "Tell me."

"I— did threaten to tell you something that would make you angry. Well I think it would make you angry…" She trailed off, "Obviously he thought so too." She looked up at him, "But I wouldn't lie to you, I wouldn't make up something like this."

"Something like what?"

"You know when I told you what happened to me?" She whispered and put her head in her hands.

"Yes."

"Well _he_ wasn't the one who decided to take me that night. _He_ wasn't the one who came up to me. Crane was." She took a shaky breath, "But about a week later _he_…"

"Say his name." Bane demanded. There was a long pause before she spoke again.

"About a week later, _Jack_ got rid of him. Because of what he did to me, well what he was _doing_ to me. He decided he wouldn't let Crane hurt me like that anymore, so he cut off their ties and threatened to kill him if he ever came close to me again… well, then I told you what happened after that."

"Don't be ambiguous darling, how exactly did he hurt you?" Bane crouched down in front of her and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"He… he raped me." She whispered broken, "The first time… h-he took my virginity and after that sometimes liked to spray me his fear toxin before he…" She started sobbing hysterically. The memory was still to painful for her to think about. He didn't move, he just stared at her and she couldn't read his emotions at all from his eyes.

"Do you want me to kill him?" He asked simply. She looked up at him once before burying her head in his shoulder and continuing to cry.

"Just don't kill the little girl, I know that I can't take care of her. But I want her to be safe." She begged between tears. Bane thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"The girl will be protected." Bane, "Crane will die with the rest of the city when it is time." The last sentence scared her but she didn't say anything.

"What will happen to Madison?" She asked instead.

"I will get someone with experience to take care of her." He answered, "But she cannot stay here for more than tonight." Mae pulled away from him and tried wiping the tears away but it was no use. Her eyes were red and swollen, black tear tracks from her mascara stained her cheeks.

"You'll protect me now won't you Bane?" She asked shakily, "You won't let anything like that happen to me again will you?" He was torn for a moment, he had never seen her this vulnerable and it unnerved him. It brought feelings to the surface that he'd rather not acknowledge.

"No." He sighed, "I won't let anyone else hurt you. I promise you." He then helped her settle into bed and turned the lights off before he joined her. She was fast asleep before he even reached the switch.

Bane had woken up extremely early, as per usual, to find the little girl sitting on the couch crying. _Talia_. He was immediately reminded of the little girl he saved from the Pit. The girl who, against all his wishes had lost her innocence and who was now only driven by her thirst of revenge. Madison looked up at him and gasped. She was afraid of him, and who wouldn't be? He approached her cautiously and sat down next to her.

When Mae woke up she walked into the living room to see the strangest thing she had even seen. Bane was sitting on the couch watching the news like he usually did but sitting in front of him was Madison, happily drawing away on a piece of paper with crayons. She stood there with her mouth agape for a moment in complete shock. The anchorman's voice emanating from the television filled the room along with the sound of gunfire and shouting behind him. It was very unlikely that the new would have anything to report except mayhem these days. Mae hesitantly walked towards the two and Madison looked up with a bit toothy grin.

"Mae!" She jumped up. How easily this child could forget. Forget that her whole life had just been stolen away from her. Bane looked up as well and gave her a hard look before returning his attention back to the screen. Mae crouched down at the little girl ran to her, "I did this for you." She handed Mae the drawing who smiled from ear to ear as she looked it over, "That's me, that's you and that's Bane." She pointed at the big figure last with what looked like a spider covering his face. Mae praised the little girl for her skill and thanked her profusely, telling her that she would frame it.

"Go draw in your room now Madison." Bane ordered from the couch and the little girl obeyed. She grabbed her drawing tools and raced into the other room, not at all bothered by the man's cold tone. Mae bit her lip as she smiled. She wasn't sure what the make of this new development or what to say to the imposing presence in front of her, "Sit down my dear." He patted the seat next to him and she silently obliged.

"So…" Mae began, "She can stay?"

"Did you ever want children Mae?" Bane asked.

"Once." She answered honestly.

"I once cared for a child, a child quite like the one that you brought home." Bane said, "Spirited, vivacious, I thought that nothing could extinguish that light. But life happened as if so often does and that little girl that I used to know has turned into a jaded woman."

"Talia."

"Talia." Bane repeated nostalgically. He was quiet for a moment, "Yes, the girl can stay but I will still bring someone in to take care of her during the daytime." Mae couldn't contain herself as she launched herself into Bane's arms. He held her a little awkwardly for a moment before pushing her away, "I think perhaps you wanted children more than you realised." His eyebrows furrowed as he scrutinized her. She just gave him a huge smile with the wide innocent eyes that he adored.

"Thank you." Mae breathed and kissed up and down his neck excitedly, "You're so handsome, even with the mask."

EMMA

Emma was sitting alone in her penthouse home. They had decided that she would stay there for the time being while Bruce lived at the manor, close to his "bat-cave". Alfred had obviously chose to keep an eye on _Master Wayne_ so for the first time in what felt like forever, Emma was truly alone. She watched, horrified as what the Joker was doing in the news began to surface. He was still killing someone each day until the Batman revealed his secret identity. She didn't know what Bruce was planning to do, or how he was feeling. Trapped, she would imagine. The criminal was malicious and ruthless, there was no doubt in her mind that he would kill every citizen in this city until the Batman was the only inhabitant left. She flicked off the television when the phone rang and she stretched to answer it.

"Hello?" She greeted.

"Hello, Mrs. Wayne?" A deep male voice spoke into the telephone.

"Yes?"

"Hi, this is Mayor Garcia." The man said. Emma sat up straight immediately and furrowed her brows in confusion. Why would the Mayor of Gotham be calling her?

"Oh, hi." She said rather awkwardly, not really knowing how to respond.

"I tried to call you earlier at the manor but your husband told me that I could reach you here." He said, "As you may or may not know our police commissioner, Gillian Loeb, was killed recently."

"Yes, I saw it on the news." Emma responded regretfully, "It's awful what happened to him."

"Yes, it really is. And as a result our city is in a panic. We are going to hold a memorial service for him tomorrow afternoon in front of city hall." He informed her. She begun to get weary of what he was saying, "Anyways I know it's a lot ask but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind giving a speech?"

"I didn't know the Commissioner personally..."

"That's no matter at all. The people of Gotham love you Mrs. Wayne. You're a beacon of hope to them. A girl from... humble beginnings... grows up to become the wife of Gotham's wealthiest man and her life becomes dedicated to help people who grew up like her."

"You mean poor?" She asked bluntly.

"Well... yes." The Mayor stumbled for words but composed himself quickly, "I want our people to see that all hope is not lost. That the Joker cannot get to us-"

"He has gotten to us though, hasn't he?" She cut him off.

"No Mrs. Wayne, I don't believe so." The Mayor replied calmly. Mae sighed and stretched her legs languidly.

"Okay Mr. Mayor." She said finally, "I'll address the people of Gotham and tell them that everything is going to be alright. That it'll all be over soon as long as we just stay strong." She sounded a bit sarcastic, which the Mayor did not at all appreciate.

"Good to hear Mrs. Wayne." The Mayor's booming voice said in fake jolliness, "I will be in your debt."

"Oh don't think on it."

"Well, I'll just pass you on to my secretary and she can fill you in on some of the details. It's been a pleasure talking to you. I'll see you tomorrow." There was a click and then Emma was suddenly talking to an chipper sounding young woman who was eager to tell her whatever she needed to know. After that conversation was over, Emma took out a pen and paper and went over to the kitchen table. She began to write.

_Dear Bruce, _

_the mayor just called to ask me to give a speech in front of the entire city on the behalf of Commissioner Loeb. He was basically saying that I was there to raise the moral of the citizens. I'm apparently influential and inspirational enough to give these kinds of speeches now. I don't know how that happened. I wish you were here. You were always so good at speeches. Especially that one time you told me about when you nearly burnt your house down. What did you call your guests again? Freeloaders, phonies, two-faced friends and sycophantic suck-ups? Maybe I should just re-use that one. It seemed to be a real crowd pleaser. And to think that if I hadn't gone back to the Narrows that night I would have been there to see it. Would you have forced me out too? I guess I don't know what you would've done... maybe it's best that we didn't find out. _

_Anyways, the days here are moving pretty slowly and I miss you a lot. I know that I shouldn't be complaining about you being gone since I was the one who insisted on us taking some time apart but I can't help it. I think about you and Rachel a lot. I know you weren't over her when you met me. I know that you rushed to save her from Jonathan Crane that night before you even thought about calling me. But I don't blame you for that. We hadn't even known each other that long. Hadn't even gone out on a proper date or kissed. Did those things only happen because she rejected you? She came over yesterday and said that she owed me an explanation. She told me how things ended between you two, before they had ever really started. I told you that if you would have given me a choice I would have chosen to marry the Batman as well as Bruce Wayne, obviously she didn't feel the same way. Is that why you didn't tell me? Were you afraid that I would leave you just like she did? Sometimes I delude myself into thinking that that was it. It makes me feel as though I was more valuable to you then Rachel. I know that's awful but I was always a little jealous of her and the profound bond that you two have, and it makes me feel better. _

_So I guess that's all for now. I like writing to you even though it hurts. But I promised I wouldn't cut you off completely and I always stay true to my word. As always, please don't write me back, call or come around to seem me okay? Not yet. I'm still not ready yet. Besides, you have a lot of other more important things to be thinking about. You should be more worried about yourself then me. I worry about you, all the time. Especially when I watch the news. I know that whatever decision you make will be the right one. You said you wear a mask to protect me, but please don't keep it on if you feel that it's time because of me. You're all Gotham has right now. I don't think my speech is going to help things much. I'll love you forever no matter what, even if it doesn't seem that way right now._

_I'll write again soon._

_Love, Emma xxx_

Bruce took deep and slow breaths as he read the letter that had just arrived for him that morning. The memorial was that evening and he would be there, as Batman. He wouldn't be able to support his wife or stand in the crowd smiling up at her. He had a city to support. The Joker was going to try to pull something, the mayor was stupidly making himself an open target, and now he had extra incentive to make sure that the madman's plans were foiled. Alfred came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"She'll come around Master Wayne." He reassured, "You just have to be patient. Maybe she was right. Maybe this will be good for the both of you. You need to figure out what's really important." Bruce stood up and put the letter down on his desk with the others. He sighed deeply.

"I need you to call her." He told Alfred, "Call her and tell her that she has to be careful when she goes to the memorial. That it's going to be dangerous and the Joker will probably be there."

"Don't you think that will just convince her not to attend?"

"All the better if she doesn't." Bruce responded, "The Joker won't target her. She's of no political significance to him but I don't want her getting caught in the crossfire." Bruce sighed deeply, "You're right, I do need to get my priorities in order by right now I don't have the luxury of time to do so."

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